Noticias

Quentin Tarantino making a Western sounds like the coolest coupling of director and genre since Scorsese noodled with the mafia, and judging from the rootin' tootin' trailer for "Django Unchained," it just might live up to our cinema-junkie expectations.

For his smash hit "Inglourious Basterds," Tarantino gave Jews their ultimate revenge fantasy by allowing Eli Roth to smoke Hitler, and we loved every minute of it. Now imagine him applying that same gonzo, pop culture-laden sensibility to a freed African-American slave riding dusty trails, scouting filthy saloons, or going up against heaps o' redneck crackers with itchy trigger fingers. Now you get the picture.

Here's all you should possibly know to get in the saddle with the "Pulp Fiction" maestro for his trip to the wild, wild ... South?

Release Date

December 25

Most Wanted List

For the title slave-turned-gunslinger, Jamie Foxx beat out the formidable likes of Will Smith, Idris Elba...

The acclaimed, eccentric director of Women in Love and The Devils died this week, prompting tributes from the press and former colleagues

The big story

Ken Russell died this week, leaving behind a body of work that shocked and surprised, teased and titillated. He was, said Xan Brooks in our early news story a man of "wild drama, gaudy conflagrations and operatic flourishes", a "juggler of high and low culture who invariably courted controversy".

Russell's career path - from his documentary work for the 1960s BBC series Monitor, to the short films he made at home in later years - was hard to map. His most infamous and innovative works - The Devils, Altered States - flashed by in the wake of semi-hits Women in Love (which won him an Oscar in 1971) and Tommy. He was, said friends an "iconoclast" (Venessa Redgrave). "Fearless, eccentric and silly" (Melvyn Bragg). "Capable of...

This restrained portrayal of Queen Victoria's relationship with her gallant gillie puts the Victorian gossips to shame

Mrs Brown (1997)

Director: John Madden

Entertainment grade: B

History grade: B+

Queen Victoria was widowed in 1861. Four years after Prince Albert's death, she became attached to her gillie, John Brown.

Taste

John Brown (Billy Connolly) joins Victoria's staff at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, then moves with her to Balmoral in Scotland. The film invents some Upstairs Downstairs drama, but sticks approximately to the facts. The only conspicuous error is that the Balmoral sets are far too tasteful. Balmoral, like Osborne, was bought and decorated by Victoria and Albert as a couple, and its interiors were famously hideous. All the wood was painted dark ginger, fake thistles abounded, and anything that stayed still long enough was covered in violently clashing tartans – including curtains, carpets, furniture, linoleum and small children.

All good things must come to an end, or at the very least a season finale, and that's exactly the case with MTV's "Death Valley"! Check out the final clips of the season right here!

“Death Valley” stars Tania Raymonde (“Lost”), Bryan Callen (“The Hangover”), Caity Lotz (“Mad Men”), Bryce Johnson (‘Sleeping Dogs Lie”), Texas Battle (“Final Destination 3”, “Dragonball,” “Coach Carter”) and Charlie Sanders (Funny or Die’s “The Big Dog”). “Death Valley” is executive produced by Eric Weinberg, Austin Reading, Julie Kellman Reading and Tim Healy. Spider One is co-executive producer of the series. Tony Dibari is executive producer, MTV, and Matthew Parillo is MTV executive in charge of production.

On to the goods ...

MTV Shows

MTV Shows

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

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Discuss what the dead boys will do when sheriff John Brown comes for you in the comments section below!

Fans of MTV's "Death Valley", rejoice! We've got two new clips from tonight's episode on tap for you right here, brimming with the type of undead shenanigans that will have you grinning from ear-to-ear. Check 'em out!

“Death Valley” stars Tania Raymonde (“Lost”), Bryan Callen (“The Hangover”), Caity Lotz (“Mad Men”), Bryce Johnson (‘Sleeping Dogs Lie”), Texas Battle (“Final Destination 3”, “Dragonball,” “Coach Carter”) and Charlie Sanders (Funny or Die’s “The Big Dog”). “Death Valley” is executive produced by Eric Weinberg, Austin Reading, Julie Kellman Reading and Tim Healy. Spider One is co-executive producer of the series. Tony Dibari is executive producer, MTV, and Matthew Parillo is MTV executive in charge of production.

On to the goods ...

MTV Shows

MTV Shows

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

Got news? Click here to submit it!

Discuss what the dead boys will do when sheriff John Brown comes for you in the comments section below!

American actress Jessica Chastain is to dye her hair blonde, cut it short, put on a British accent for the first time and step into the daunting shoes of the late Princess Diana for what is sure to be a highly controversial biopic, Caught in Flight. The film is a British production from Ecosse Films, the studio behind the John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy and the movie about Queen Victoria’s bereaved relationship with Scottish servant John Brown and is a package being sold to distributors at the American Film Market.

Written by The Libertine scribe Steven Jeffreys, the film will focus on the post-Charles divorce years from 1995 and up to Diana’s death in 1997 and her ‘secret affair’ with Dr. Hasnat Khan, regarded by some to be the true ‘love of her life’. The relationship came before she dated Dodi Fayed, and some speculate (as they do about...

Ready for some more supernatural shenanigans straight out of MTV's hit show "Death Valley"? Then dig on the preview of what's to come tonight!

“Death Valley” stars Tania Raymonde (“Lost”), Bryan Callen (“The Hangover”), Caity Lotz (“Mad Men”), Bryce Johnson (‘Sleeping Dogs Lie”), Texas Battle (“Final Destination 3”, “Dragonball,” “Coach Carter”) and Charlie Sanders (Funny or Die’s “The Big Dog”). “Death Valley” is executive produced by Eric Weinberg, Austin Reading, Julie Kellman Reading and Tim Healy. Spider One is co-executive producer of the series. Tony Dibari is executive producer, MTV, and Matthew Parillo is MTV executive in charge of production.

First up is "Carla's Curious" followed by "Kirsten Gets Fired".

MTV Shows

MTV Shows

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

Got news? Click here to submit it!

Discuss what the dead boys will do when sheriff John Brown comes for you in the comments section below!

In tonight episode of MTV's "Death Valley", Billy and Stu lose a partner in the line of duty while trying to help a drug addict. Sounds grim, right? But we're pretty sure there'll be a few laughs along the way as well. Check out these two clips MTV provided us from the ep to see if you don't agree.

“Death Valley” stars Tania Raymonde (“Lost”), Bryan Callen (“The Hangover”), Caity Lotz (“Mad Men”), Bryce Johnson (‘Sleeping Dogs Lie”), Texas Battle (“Final Destination 3”, “Dragonball,” “Coach Carter”) and Charlie Sanders (Funny or Die’s “The Big Dog”). “Death Valley” is executive produced by Eric Weinberg, Austin Reading, Julie Kellman Reading and Tim Healy. Spider One is co-executive producer of the series. Tony Dibari is executive producer, MTV, and Matthew Parillo is MTV executive in charge of production.

First up is "Undead Hooker" followed by "Carla's Close Call".

Get More: MTV Shows...

Actress Tania Raymonde may be best known to millions worldwide as Alex Rousseau from ABC's series "Lost", but it's her latest television role that very well could define the next chapter of her career.

On MTV's newest genre series "Death Valley", Raymonde plays Carla Rinaldi, the no-nonsense badass member of the Utf (Undead Task Force) that hits the streets of the San Fernando Valley nightly to keep the peace amongst the humans living there and the undead masses now lurking everywhere- including zombies, werewolves and vampires. Each night Carla and her smooth-talking partner John "John John" Johnson (Texas Battle) hit the streets of the Valley in hopes of keeping the streets (and each other) safe and undead free.

Shot documentary style (a la "Cops"), the horror comedy is quickly becoming The show to watch on Monday nights due to the hilarious (and sometimes even heartfelt) performances by Raymonde and the...

In recent times MTV has tried its hand in the horror genre and come up with some winners. With titles like "Teen Wolf" and "My Super Psycho Sweet 16" Parts One and Two, it's pretty interesting to see how "Death Valley" will fare in comparison to the plethora of horror TV programming available now.

Make sure to read our "Death Valley" review by Heather Wixson.

“Death Valley” stars Tania Raymonde (“Lost”), Bryan Callen (“The Hangover”), Caity Lotz (“Mad Men”), Bryce Johnson (‘Sleeping Dogs Lie”), Texas Battle (“Final Destination 3”, “Dragonball,” “Coach Carter”) and Charlie Sanders (Funny or Die’s “The Big Dog”). “Death Valley” is executive produced by Eric Weinberg, Austin Reading, Julie Kellman Reading and Tim Healy. Spider One is co-executive producer of the series. Tony Dibari is executive producer, MTV, and Matthew Parillo is MTV executive in charge of production.

"Death Valley" premieres on MTV tonight, August 29th,...

MTV premiered a few more goodies for its upcoming horror comedy series "Death Valley" in the form of a new clip and some pretty ghastly stills. Dig on all the goodies right here.

“Death Valley” stars Tania Raymonde (“Lost”), Bryan Callen (“The Hangover”), Caity Lotz (“Mad Men”), Bryce Johnson (‘Sleeping Dogs Lie”), Texas Battle (“Final Destination 3”, “Dragonball,” “Coach Carter”) and Charlie Sanders (Funny or Die’s “The Big Dog”). “Death Valley” is executive produced by Eric Weinberg, Austin Reading, Julie Kellman Reading and Tim Healy. Spider One is co-executive producer of the series. Tony Dibari is executive producer, MTV, and Matthew Parillo is MTV executive in charge of production.

On August 29th MTV is looking to build on its horror repertoire with the brand new horror comedy "Death Valley", which premieres at 10:30 pm/9:30 pm Ct. The series follows the ‘Undead Task Force’ (Utf), a newly formed division of the Lapd,...

We're just a few days away from the premiere of MTV's "Death Valley", and to get you geared up to support the long arm of the horror law, the network that used to play music has released a new clip!

“Death Valley” stars Tania Raymonde (“Lost”), Bryan Callen (“The Hangover”), Caity Lotz (“Mad Men”), Bryce Johnson (‘Sleeping Dogs Lie”), Texas Battle (“Final Destination 3”, “Dragonball,” “Coach Carter”) and Charlie Sanders (Funny or Die’s “The Big Dog”). “Death Valley” is executive produced by Eric Weinberg, Austin Reading, Julie Kellman Reading and Tim Healy. Spider One is co-executive producer of the series. Tony Dibari is executive producer, MTV, and Matthew Parillo is MTV executive in charge of production.

On August 29th MTV is looking to build on its horror repertoire with the brand new horror-comedy "Death Valley", which premieres at 10:30 pm/9:30 pm Ct. The series follows the ‘Undead Task Force...

It seems like horror has been good to the MTV network - they saw their ratings surge last year when they hosted several modern horror classics on their network, and their newest genre show, "Teen Wolf", has done phenomenal ratings numbers and has already been picked up for a second season.

On August 29th MTV is looking to build on its horror repertoire with the brand new horror-comedy "Death Valley", which premieres at 10:30 pm/9:30 pm Ct. The series follows the ‘Undead Task Force’ (Utf), a newly formed division of the Lapd, documentary-style, as they capture the monsters that roam the streets of California’s San Fernando Valley. In a world where vampires, werewolves and zombies live freely, “Death Valley” is a fun, comedic non-stop thrill ride featuring chases, hardcore kills and bizarre encounters.

While at last month's San Diego Comic-Con, Dread Central's Brian "Dreads" Smith had the opportunity...

The Dark Knight Descends on the Asbury Park Boardwalk

While everyone knows Batman comes from Gotham City, did you know that the Batman movies actually came from Asbury Park?

Michael Uslan, executive producer of the Batman film franchise and one of Asbury Park’s favorite sons, will be returning home on August 20, 2011 for a celebration of all things Batman to commemorate the release of his new memoir, The Boy Who Loved Batman.

Michael’s book tells his story of growing up around Asbury Park, feeding his imagination on a steady diet of Batman comic books. From the humble beginnings as the son of a mason – with no connections in Hollywood and no money to buy his way in – Michael eventually fulfilled his lifelong dream of turning his favorite childhood super-hero into a dark and serious movie giant. The Batman films have grossed nearly $2.7 billion in worldwide box office receipts, and...

That's right; we used the words "badass" and "MTV" in the same sentence. It's been a long time since last that was done, but one look at their new series "Death Valley", and you'll see why it's hard not to.

From the Press Release

MTV today announced two new series to join the Monday night line-up – Rob Dyrdek’s “Ridiculousness” at 10:00 p.m., followed by the scripted horror-comedy “Death Valley” at 10:30 p.m., starting Monday, August 29, 2011.

“Rob Dyrdek is one of the most dynamic and talented personalities on the network, and with ‘Ridiculousness,’ he brings his hilarious take on viral videos as only he can to MTV,” said David Janollari, Head of MTV Programming. “‘Death Valley’ brings a truly unique blend of comedy and horror to the channel. ‘Ridiculousness’ and ‘Death Valley’ are two fun, bold and entertaining new series that continue our push toward diversifying the landscape of the network.

We've been hearing that Quentin Tarantino's next film will be a spaghetti western that has Christoph Waltz, Franco Nero, and Keith Carradine attached to star. Now, a photo of what looks like a cover page for his script has appeared online and it has a title... "Django Unchained." You can check out the cover page below, which is once again hand-written by Tarantino. But what's this movie about? In 1966, Nero actually starred in a spaghetti western called "Django," and Tarantino's version may be an homage to that. The 1966 "Django" revolves around a coffin-dragging gunslinger who enters a town caught between two feuding factions, the Kkk and a gang of Mexican Bandits, and is caught up in a struggle against them. We've previously heard that Tarantino's film would heavily focus on slavery and likely be about revolutionary abolitionist John Brown. "He's my favorite American who ever lived," Tarantino recently stated.

Updated: Could it actually be real? My friend Seb at Quentin Tarantino Archives has a colour version of the script’s front cover and suddenly this thing is starting to look more and more like it could be legit. Just seeing the title in red crayons gave it such a unique Tarantino touch – no faker would ever try that. Time to really start getting excited.

Drew at Hitfix says he heard a while ago Quentin wouldn’t call his next movie A Southern but something that would “instantly get western nerds excited” so he’s putting his hat on this. Then Trailers From Hell confirmed it was legit on Twitter. Soooo… does this mean the John Brown slavery movie, and the Franco Nero Spaghetti Western are one project? Unbelievably, it would seem yes.

Tarantino finished the screenplay for his next movie last Tuesday. Expect the full script to leak online soon,...

... Django Unchained?

The image above sure looks like Quentin Tarantino's style, he does like to hand write the titles of his films on the first page of his script. As you may have heard Tarantino is developing a spaghetti western that is supposed star Christoph Waltz, Franco Nero, Treat Williams, and Keith Carradine. Nero talked about the film in a previous interview in which he said,

The film will be called The Angel, The Bad And The Wise and is a tribute to Sergio Leone. It’s a movie that contains humor, lots of action, but also a great plot. We have already been signed by a dozen people who will be part of project. Among the filmmakers involved include Quentin Tarantino, Keith Carradine, Treat Williams, fifteen people in all Americans who want to do this movie and so we are trying to produce it outside of Italy.

The...

Netflix has revolutionized the home movie experience for fans of film with its instant streaming technology. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about independent, classic and foreign films made available by Netflix for instant streaming.

Sorry, folks… there are simply too many great films streaming this week to post an image for them all, but that’s a good thing, eh? You’ve got your movie watching work cut out for you, due in great part to Miramax releasing damn near their entire catalog of films on one day!

B. Monkey (1999)

Streaming Available: 05/01/2011

Director: Michael Radford

Synopsis: Good-hearted schoolteacher Alan Furnace (Jared Harris) desperately wants some excitement in his life — and he may just get some. One lonely night at a London bar, Alan spies the raven-haired beauty Beatrice (Asia Argento) arguing with two friends, Paul (Rupert Everett) and Bruno (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers). Beatrice quickly befriends Alan and...

By Sean O’Connell

Hollywoodnews.com: Buck Brannaman, better known in equestrian circles as the horse whisperer, continued to work his magic over crowds.

“Buck,” Cindy Meehl’s documentary on Brannaman’s unique career, took home the Audience Award at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, months after it claimed the same prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

It’s hard to resist Brannaman’s charms. His gift isn’t with horses – though he knows how to soothe those sometimes-savage beasts. Instead, Buck clicks with owners, explaining how a horse acts as a mirror into its rider’s soul (and some cowboys sure don’t like what they see). “Buck” certainly is a crowd-pleaser, and I can see why audiences at Full Frame were wooed.

But “Buck” wasn’t the only winner of the weekend. We’ve got the complete list of winners, announced Sunday in Durham, N.C., below:...

By Sean O’Connell

Hollywoodnews.com: A number of documentary films that made splashes at this year’s Sundance and South By Southwest film festivals have been added to the schedule for the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. A total of 66 selections have been selected for the festival’s New Docs program, which consists of of 43 feature films and 23 shorts from all over the world. This year’s Full Frame fest will be held April 14-17, in Durham, N.C.

“Each year, over a thousand filmmakers give us the opportunity to review their work, and it’s extremely rewarding to curate a selection of titles that represent a wide breadth of the documentary form,” said director of programming, Sadie Tillery.

Specific screening times and venues will be announced with the overall schedule on March 24. Here are the 66 films being screened so far.

New Docs

Angst (Director: Graça Castanheira)

Portuguese filmmaker...

According to recent reports, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino may be on track towards his next film, a Western that could re-team him with his Oscar-winning star of Inglourious Basterds Christoph Waltz, according to AICN.

Tarantino, of course, has hinted at wanting to do a Western for some while now. A couple of years ago he told talk show host Charlie Rose that he was interested in making a biopic about revolutionary abolitionist John Brown.  

"He's my favorite American who ever lived," Tarantino told Rose. "He basically single-handedly started the road to end slavery and the fact that he killed people to do it. He decided, 'If we start spilling white blood, then they're going to start getting the idea.'"

Last year Tarantino stated openly he wanted to make a Western. "I'd like to do a Western," he said. "But rather than set it in Texas, have it in slavery times.

Just yesterday we heard a rumor that Quentin Tarantino may be working on his next feature film, a Western that may re-team the director with his Oscar-winning star of "Inglourious Basterds" Christoph Waltz. Deadline has now confirmed the rumor, adding that Tarantino has already completed the script. Unlike "Basterds" and "Kill Bill," which took a long time to come together, this one just flowed out of him. The plan is to deliver something to The Weinstein Company within two months and then immediately begin working toward a production start. Looking back at old Tarantino quotes, there's a good chance that his new film will revolve around slavery. "I'd like to do a Western. But rather than set it in Texas, have it in slavery times," he said a year ago. "Do it as an adventure. A spaghetti Western that takes place during that time. And I would call it A Southern.

Quentin Tarantino in Sukiyaki Western Django

Photo: First Look Pictures Yesterday people got pretty excited (myself included) at the idea Quentin Tarantino was preparing to direct an as yet untitled spaghetti western and that his Inglourious Basterds star and Oscar winner, Christoph Waltz would be joining the helmer once again.

Details were scarce and it had the strong sent of rumor as a new Tarantino project seems to be announced every three months or so, but today Deadline adds their two cents to the fray. Here's what they had to say: I ran into Quentin Tarantino, who said that he has completed the script for his Western, and that compared to recent scripts like Inglourious Basterds and Kill Bill that took so long to crystallize, this one came together much quicker and just flowed out of him. He wasn't more descriptive than that before I lost him in the crowd,...

The BBC has announced an interactive online spinoff to BBC Three's supernatural drama Being Human. Becoming Human, created by Toby Whithouse, will follow a new group of characters in a fictional college over nine episodes. The series will begin midway through the third series of Being Human, which returns to BBC Three in January 2011. Following events that unfold in the new block of episodes, vampire Adam - played by Craig Roberts - is trying to get himself back on the straight and narrow at college. There he meets "beautiful, cool" werewolf Christa (Leila Mimmack). They strike up a friendship with Matt (John Brown) and the three new friends find themselves embroiled in a mystery. Viewers will have the opportunity to interact with the story as it unfolds, with daily clues and materials. Whithouse said: "Yes, (more)...

There was some surprise when it was announced that Aussie taxpayers would foot the bill, estimated at $3 million, for “Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure.” That’s the eight-day journey Down Under on which Oprah Winfrey will take 300 of her most loyal viewers this December. They’ll see the sights, drink the wine, and shoot at least two episodes of The Oprah Winfrey Show in Sydney’s Opera House (dubbed “Oprah House” for that week). But the fact is: A tourism board does spend money on advertising to bring visitors into the country, and Winfrey filming her first trip — for a...

Oprah Winfrey isn't picking up the tab to send her biggest fans on an all-expenses paid trip down under.

Australia's government is footing the $2.8 million bill in an effort to attract more travelers to the country, Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson said in a statement Tuesday.

"Oprah is a household name and her star power has the potential to lift Australia's profile as a premier tourist destination," Ferguson said.

Former federal tourism minister John Brown already anticipates criticism. He has asked the media not to be "cynical about the cost," according to Reuters.

"We spent hundreds of millions of dollars over 30 years without much effect, I must say that honestly," he said at a press conference. "The publicity that Oprah will bring to Australia around the world is something you couldn't buy."

Winfrey -- who surprised her 300-person audience with the trip on Monday's 25th season premiere -- will tape two...

MTV is in love with dabbling in the horror genre right now what with their upcoming projects Teen Wolf and of course My Super Psycho Sweet 16 Part 2 coming at us really soon. So what's next? Why cops vs. monsters of course!

According to The Hollywood Reporter the documentary-style "Death Valley", created by Spider of Powerman 5000, has an ensemble cast that includes Caity Lotz ("Mad Men") and Tania Raymonde ("Lost") and follows the Undead Task Force, which battles zombies, vampires and werewolves that have overrun the San Fernando Valley.

"'Death Valley' is the perfect combination of horror and comedy, two genres we know our audience responds to," senior vp production Tony Dibari said. "That blend, combined with a fast pace and gritty 'follow doc' visual style, will take viewers on a wild ride where they are never sure what's around the next corner."

Though MTV's audience skews female,...

Oprah Winfrey unveils plans for her final show – a jaunt to Australia for 300 loyal fans with John Travolta at the controls

It was the opening show of her 25th and final season, and there was a feeling in the air that Oprah Winfrey would not let it pass by quietly. "This is really my last chance to do something really big," she told her trembling audience. "So I started to think about where would I most want to go . . ." By now the crowd had reached something close to religious ecstasy. Finally, she let them have it: "We're going to Australia!" And then they really lost control.

People were screaming and crying. The front of an airliner burst through the back of the set, a cardboard Qantas check-in desk joined it, confetti was falling from the ceiling. (Though this is not best practice in the vicinity of jet engines.) Australian flags – and dingos,...

Almost a year ago to the day, I was on the set of Jonah Hex in hot and humid Louisiana. While on set, I watched Josh Brolin stand on top of a huge ship trying to find a way to defeat John Malkovich. Even though comic book movies might have been a small genre ten years ago, nowadays, some of the biggest actors in the business are lining up to play comic book characters. As a huge fan of the genre, it’s awesome to see.

Anyway, while Josh Brolin was under hours of makeup and involved in most of the shots, towards the middle of the night he sat down to talk about the challenges of the makeup, the character of Jonah Hex, what was it like to go up against John Malkovich, how much of the action he could do himself, why he wanted Jimmy Hayward in the director’s chair,...

You've gotta give Candice one thing. She is consistent. She always mutinees on her tribes. Someone ought to get the girl a novelty hat that says Candice the Mutineer. If she traced her genealogy for an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? I wouldn't be surprised to find such patriots as Benedict Arnold and John Brown in her family tree. All kidding aside, though, did Candice make the right move? ...

Courtesy of New Films International

The Lightkeepers hearkens back to a traditional style of filmmaking.  Which means one has a setting, and some characters to interact in that setting.  That's it.  The story never gets too deep but does contain elements that many can relate to.  Based on all the above, the flick needs performers that can breathe life into many simplicities.

Fortunately, the 90 minute flick secured talent with Richard Dreyfuss and Blythe Danner.  The only other characters that share just as much screen time as the two award-winning performers are Tom Wisdom and Mamie Gummer.  So when these talented pieces are in play, can they enable an entertaining story?  For their part, yes.

Our story is set in 1912 on Cape Cod island.  Seth Atkins (Dreyfuss) is a cranky-old lighthouse keeper who has a strong distaste for women.  As head lighthouse keeper, he does need to hire assistants to help...

Courtesy of New Films International

The Lightkeepers hearkens back to a traditional style of filmmaking.  Which means one has a setting, and some characters to interact in that setting.  That's it.  The story never gets too deep but does contain elements that many can relate to.  Based on all the above, the flick needs performers that can breathe life into many simplicities.

Fortunately, the 90 minute flick secured talent with Richard Dreyfuss and Blythe Danner.  The only other characters that share just as much screen time as the two award-winning performers are Tom Wisdom and Mamie Gummer.  So when these talented pieces are in play, can they enable an entertaining story?  For their part, yes.

Our story is set in 1912 on Cape Cod island.  Seth Atkins (Dreyfuss) is a cranky-old lighthouse keeper who has a strong distaste for women.  As head lighthouse keeper, he does need to hire assistants to help...

New Films Cinema will hold the Tampa Bay Premiere of their new movie, The Lightkeepers, this Thursday, March 18, at Channelside Theatres. Former local news anchor, Bob Hite, is returning to Tampa to host the event which will benefit The American Victory Ship Mariners Memorial and Museum. Additionally, The American Victory Ship will donate a portion of their proceeds to the Egmont Key Alliance, an organization that maintains Tampa's own historic lighthouse.

Along with a free small popcorn to enjoy during the 7:00Pm advance showing of the The Lightkeepers, the evening will include a complimentary tour of the world-class SS American Victory ship between 4pm and 6:30pm and between 9pm and 10pm. Guests will also have an opportunity to meet the executive producer of The Lightkeepers, Judith James (Mr. Holland's opus, The Quizz Show). Ms. James will field questions from the audience after the film and join them after...

At a Thursday luncheon in NYC celebrating his film’s Oscar nominations, writer/director Quentin Tarantino made the following statement in an interview with New York Daily News, when asked what he’ll be doing next:

“I’d like to do a Western. But rather than set it in Texas, have it in slavery times. With that subject that everybody is afraid to deal with. Let’s shine that light on ourselves. You could do a ponderous history lesson of slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad. Or, you could make a movie that would be exciting. Do it as an adventure. A spaghetti Western that takes place during that time. And I would call it ‘A Southern.’”

Was he serious? Well, he’s already previously expressed interest in a similar kind of revisionist history film, but with the Kkk replacing the Nazis, as was the case in Inglorious Basterds. And,...

A healthy web-based discussion I’ve been having with others about Avatar and its racial metaphors & implications prompted the following post. At the center of it all is the fact that, in the film, the indigenous Na’vi tribe win in the end! However, there’s still a significant overall message being delivered via the film that I fear is getting lost in all the fervor.

Yes, the Na’vi win, But… ultimately, it’s still a story told mostly through the eyes of a white man.

As I’m sure we all know by now, a Toussaint L’ouverture film has been in the works for about a decade, with financing being the main hinderance in seeing the project realized. Meanwhile, Quentin Tarantino said, in a recent interview, that, for one of his future films, he’d like to bring the life of John Brown to the screen – which...

Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, and Francois Pienaar held a press conference for their new film "Invictus." The title Invictus comes from a poem written by poet William Ernest Henley in 1875. It was this poem which inspired Nelson Mandela to have hope for a wounded nation while imprisoned on Robben Island. The film centers around the newly elected Mandela, a racially and economically split nation, and Mandela's struggle in uniting his people through sport during the 1995 World Cup of rugby. In this press conference Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, and Francois Pienaar (the actual Rugby star which the film is based on), talk about how they prepared on playing real people, working with director Clint Eastwood, about rugby and on set injuries, on why the story was so important that it had to be told. Francois Pineaar also elaborated on his thoughts on the film, his relationship with Nelson Mandela, and...

From director Clint Eastwood, “Invictus” tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), to help unite their country.

Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa’s underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.

MoviesOnline sat down this weekend with Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman at the Los Angeles press day for “Invictus” to talk about their new film. Here’s what they had to tell us about how they researched their roles, what it was like working with Clint Eastwood, and why this was an important story to tell:

Q: Morgan, congratulations on winning the Nbr (National...

Let's begin by saying that Josh Brolin can do no wrong, and if there's one man who could be trusted with a John Brown biopic, it's the man who didn't shy away from playing George W. Bush or Dan White. Cinematical caught up with Brolin on the set of Jonah Hex, and he revealed that one of his next projects may be producing and starring in a biopic about the radical abolitionist.

"It's a great, great project. The script was already out there; I read the script, I loved it. It would be a very tough character for me to play. We're going to do some tests once I'm done with this, but it's a great script and story. Somebody who I know, because of Howard Zinn's thing [The People Speak], and I know the character really well. Mark Gordon and I had a conversation, and we said, 'Let's do this, let's get this done.

ComingSoon.net was down in New Orleans today, visiting the set of Warner Bros.' Jonah Hex , and while we can't say anything about that just yet, we did have a chance to talk with the film's star, Josh Brolin, about his upcoming projects. While Brolin has a few more weeks of work on "Hex" before heading to England to star in Woody Allen's next movie, his other upcoming projects mainly involve films he's developing as a producer, one of them which would keep him in the same era as his current movie, since he's been looking at producing a biopic from a script by Mark Gordon about John Brown, the American abolitionist who was somewhat of a fanatic who killed five Southern slave-owners before the start of the Civil War. "It's a great, great project," Brolin...

A pin commissioned by Britain's Queen Victoria to commemorate her favourite servant is expected to fetch over £700 at auction. The monarch was devastated when her personal attendant and friend John Brown died in 1883. To mark his passing, Victoria asked an Aberdeen jeweller to create gold brooches in his memory. When they were finished, the brooches - which featured Brown's head on one side and Victoria's royal monogram on the other - were given to the Queen's staff and Scottish villagers. Few pins survived and this one is expected to attract a lot of interest when it goes under the hammer in Edinburgh in August. Brown was Victoria's closest friend after her beloved husband Prince Albert died in 1861.

By TempX

The name Lesley Brown probably doesn't mean anything to you. And that's Ok. She's a footnote in history as she's the first woman to have a child through in vitro fertilization. In 1978, Mrs. Brown gave birth through a planned Caesarean Section to her daughter, Louise. Last year Lesley and John Brown celebrated Louise's 30th birthday alongside her husband and 2-year-old son. This is all truly a marvel of modern science. (Louise is shown here with her mom and dad in 2003.)

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Everything’s more interesting in Bob Dylan’s brain. Bob Dylan sees the world through a unique prism. He’s an artist through and through, susceptible to superstition and alive to the powers of language and storytelling. But he’s also a history buff of sorts. In his memoir, Chronicles, Volume 1, he describes spending countless hours as a young man in the public library absorbed in newspapers from the 1800s. It helps explain the disconnect between him and the generation that claimed him as its voice: they thought he was talking about them, when really he was talking about stuff that happened a century ago. So I was instantly curious to know what Dylan thought of Barack Obama when I stumbled on this snippet of an interview with Bill Flanagan. Turns out, Obama, like most things, is way more interesting when seen through Dylan’s eyes: He’s like a fictional character,...

Wayside Theatre Artistic Director Warner Crocker announced today the performance of Robert E. Lee and John Brown; Lighting the Fuse in our 2009-2010 Season. This play with music is written by Crocker with music by Wayside Theatre resident composer Steve Przybylski. The production is one of the planned events for the 150th Anniversary of the John Brown 1859 Raid on Harpers Ferry. Robert E. Lee and John Brown; Lighting the Fuse begins performances on August 29 and close on September 26. The John Brown 150 Anniversary Quad State Committee is planning and coordinating events to commemorate the 1859 Raid on the Arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Va.