Noticias

Exclusive: The story of California’s most notorious female serial killer, Dorothea Puente, is being turned into a TV series by former Sony Pictures Television Studios President Jeff Frost through his new production company, Bristol Circle Entertainment.

Smallville alum Michael Rosenbaum and his writing partner Jane Whitney are co-creators, writers and executive producers on the project, now in development, with Graves creator Joshua Michael Stern serving as co-creator, executive producer and showrunner. Frost is executive producing.

The potential series is based on the life of Puente. In 1980s, she opened a boarding house in Sacramento, inviting the poor, the mentally infirm and homeless to live there, often for free. Hailed as a generous benefactor, Puente, then in her 50s, was in reality murdering her boarders and continuing to cash their social security checks. After evading suspicion for years, in part because of her disarming, matronly demeanor, Puente was ultimately arrested.

Every vote counts! It’s a phrase we’ve all heard a million times, but how true is it really? In theory, it’s built on the idea that every vote counts. But in practice, not everyone participates. Kevin Costner, known for his iconic roles in Dances with Wolves and Field of Dreams, is no stranger to delivering powerful messages through film.

But in his 2008 comedy Swing Vote, Costner’s character, Ernest ‘Bud’ Johnson, is far from the idealistic hero. He’s a rough-around-the-edges, down-on-his-luck single dad who doesn’t care about politics—until his daughter sneaks into a polling station to cast his vote for him, ultimately making him the deciding factor in a tightly contested presidential election.

Kevin Costner and Madeline Carroll in Swing Vote | Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

When Swing Vote was released in 2008, Costner’s words about the apathy of the rich toward voting reflected a broader reality.

Election Day, aka the most fraught, divisive, and anxiety-inducing time of American politics, is almost upon us once again ... and Hollywood, as always, tends to offer up the perfect distraction (like this past episode of "SNL"). Then again, I suppose that depends on your definition of "perfect." In August of 2008, while then-Presidential nominees Barack Obama and John McCain battled it out in a heated race that would go on to define the next decade-plus of global diplomacy and policymaking, "Yellowstone" star Kevin Costner and co-leads Paula Patton and Kelsey Grammer were busy starring in arguably one of the most misguided pieces of political entertainment until Adam McKay decided he was the right person to write and direct 2018's "Vice." "Swing Vote" tells the story of how one random, apolitical citizen (Costner) inexplicably becomes the deciding vote in the entire Presidential election, with both major parties fighting to earn his endorsement.

It was the year 2008 when Yellowstone actor Kevin Costner starred in an iconic film titled Swing Vote. Starring Madeline Carroll and several other stars such as Stankey Tucci, Kelsey Grammar, and more, the film was an underrated gem.

Costner in a still from Yellowstone | Credits: Linson Entertainment

Following the presidential election, Kevin Costner’s character is the last person whose vote can bring a majority to one party or the other. The 10 days that follow are shown in Swing Vote but for that role, Costner had to evolve above his morals.

Kevin Costner Had a Tough Role in Swing Vote

Kevin Costner grew up as a Republican. The actor revealed that he was raised in a Republican household and politics was one of the key talks in their little home during his childhood.

Kevin Costner in a still from Swing Vote | Credits: Touchstone Pictures

Of course, mixing politics and acting...

It turns out that “The Devil Wears Prada” just might have put Stanley Tucci’s career in purgatory.

The “Conclave” actor told Vanity Fair that it was difficult for him to find work following the iconic 2006 film. Tucci played a creative director who works for Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly and also helps new hire Andy (Anne Hathaway) assimilate into the corporate fashion world. While Tucci’s character Nigel is technically a supporting role, it’s certainly a standout one. Not that casting directors noticed.

“After ‘The Devil Wears Prada,’ I couldn’t get a job, and I didn’t quite understand that,” Tucci said, “but that’s just the way it was. So I went and did stuff that I didn’t necessarily want to do, but I did it.”

Tucci’s roles right after “The Devil Wears Prada” include films “Blind Date,” “What Just Happened,” “Swing Vote,” and an “American Girl” movie.

Before he was the star of Yellowstone, the show American dads love more than their own children, Kevin Costner starred in one of the most baffling, tone-deaf political comedies of the century: 2008’s Swing Vote. Don’t let the word “swing” fool you, Costner doesn’t play a baseball player or a golfer.

Costner plays Bud, an apolitical schlub who is guilted into voting in the presidential election by his daughter. Through a series of laughably improbable series events that make Waterworld seem grounded by comparison, Bud’s ballot has to be recast, and the election is so close that this random asshole’s vote will decide the whole thing.

So both candidates try to win him over — the Democratic challenger (Dennis Hopper) and the incumbent Republican president (Kelsey Grammer). Just to be clear, this is a lighthearted comedy in which someone has to choose between President Dennis Hopper and President Kelsey Grammer,...

Warning! Spoilers ahead for the Frasier reboot episode 6.​​​​​​

Frasier's love life takes center stage in the reboot as he navigates dating after his breakup with Charlotte. The Frasier reboot reveals a mysterious gap in Frasier's Chicago years and his breakup with Charlotte. The mention of Kevin Costner in the episode creates a paradox in the Frasier universe, hinting at deeper meaning and similarities between Costner and Kelsey Grammer.

The Frasier reboot episode 6 creates a weird Kelsey Grammer paradox because of a Kevin Costner joke. Everyone's favorite snobby psychiatrist has returned to Boston as a Harvard educator. As he embarks on this third and final act, Frasier's love life is also going to be a focal point in the new series, especially on the heels of his break-up with Charlotte. With his new job and dynamic with Freddy effectively established, the Frasier reboot begins to delve deeper into the specifics of...

Kevin Costner is taking a massive risk with his Western epic film, Horizon: An American Saga, by personally financing and contributing his own money to the production. Costner has a history of self-financing movies, but most of those projects have flopped, with only a few exceptions such as Dances with Wolves and The Bodyguard. Horizon is Costner's biggest self-financing gamble yet, with a reported budget of $100 million and him mortgaging his California home to cover costs. Despite the financial risk, Costner is passionate about the project and believes in its story.

For the 15th time in 33 years, Kevin Costner repeats his now-signature multi-million dollar gamble by pouring his own money into Horizon: An American Saga. Kevin Costner's Western epic is taking a massive release strategy risk, as Horizon is set to be one of the biggest theatrical events of 2024, with the huge undertaking releasing two parts. Not to mention, Costner...

“Desperate Housewives” and “Devious Maids” creator Marc Cherry is developing a new female-fronted drama at Fox.

Titled “Jenny Is a Weapon,” the one-hour series follows the story of a sheltered Maryland housewife who, at the moment her marriage falls apart, discovers she has special psychic powers and is recruited by a secret government agency where she will have to juggle her broken family and save the world, per its official logline.

The drama has received a script commitment from Fox Entertainment and is being eyed for a potential straight-to-series order at the broadcaster under a direct deal with Cherry.

Should it be picked up, the choice to produce “Jenny Is a Weapon” in house, rather than working with an outside studio on the show, is part of Fox’s new continuous strategy to own as much of its aired content as possible now that it is an independent network.

Michael Thorn,...

The new year is continuing apace at Hulu. The streamer’s list of new releases for February 2022 is highlighted by one very interesting project.

Pam and Tommy is set to premiere on Feb. 2. Perhaps the Groundhog Day release date is intentional as the show will cover a particular moment of celebrity, sex, and exploitation from the early ’90s that seems to have repeated itself over and over. Sebastian Stan and Lily James star as Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson and the series follows the events and fallout of their homemade sex tape being stolen and unleashed on a nascent internet. If nothing else, getting the promo photos of Stan and James as the ’90s stars was worth it.

Read more Movies Willem Dafoe on Noir, Fate and Geeks in Nightmare Alley By David Crow Movies Matthew Vaughn on Finding The Man Who Would Be King’s Man By David Crow

Another Hulu original,...

One is immediately struck by the simplicity of Let Him Go. Following the untimely death of their son, retired sheriff George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) and his wife Margaret (Diane Lane) watch in horror as their daughter-in-law (Kayli Carter) marries into the Weboy Family, their grandson in tow. The Weboys are an unruly sort, holding power over all of those inside and outside of the law around the border of Montana and North Dakota. Big mean fish in a small pond. Unswayed by the violence sure to come their way, George and Margaret set out to rescue their family from certain doom.

Written and directed by Thomas Bezucha and based on the Larry Watson novel of the same name, this is storytelling that recalls westerns from decades long past. And how fitting to cast Costner in the lead role, an aging movie star who uniquely represents Hollywood’s past, present, and future.

Steve Carell is lacklustre as a political strategist for the Democrats in this flaccid film that sits on the fence

Jon Stewart made his reputation as a smart political comedian and commentator on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show on TV, before quitting in 2015 to develop movie projects, of which the first was his excellent Rosewater. But this – heartsinkingly – is the follow-up. It’s a flaccid, toothless, supercilious political non-satire for liberals too fastidious to take sides or take action. The film perches on a fence of wry disdain and makes droll gestures of disapproval at the wasteful big-money awfulness of everyone’s political campaign. And it’s leading to a big tortuous plot twist which frankly isn’t convincing, despite the talking-head expert interviewee who is wheeled on over the closing credits to assure us that it is. What we’re left with is a bland cop-out, which incidentally...

Exclusive: Deadline has learned that Voltage Pictures has hired Robin Jonas as Production Executive and Producer. She starts in the position immediately. Jonas joins Voltage at a time when the company has two prolific movies on the horizon: the action-drama Ava starring Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, John Malkovich and Geena Davis and After We Collided, the upcoming sequel to last year’s indie Ya global hit After (near $70M WW box office).

Jonas counts 25 years as a multi-faceted senior entertainment and media executive. She was an executive consultant for The Weinstein Company where she worked on The King’s Speech, The Artist, The Intouchables and Django Unchained. She was also a consultant on Open Road’s Academy Award-winning Best Picture Spotlight and a producer on Lionsgate’s Golden Globe-nominated series Graves. She oversaw the marketing for Paramount’s Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events and production for Neil Young...

Robert De Niro and Shia Labeouf are set to star in the crime drama “After Exile,” which is inspired by the true story of one of the film’s screenwriters, two individuals with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.

Joshua Michael Stern is directing the film from a script by Anthony Thorne and Michael Tovo, who wrote the film’s story based on true events from his life.

In the film, Labeouf will play an ex-convict just released from prison after killing an innocent man following a violent robbery. He tries to re-enter society while working with his father, played by De Niro, to prevent his younger brother from falling into a similar life of drugs and crime. De Niro’s character is also an ex-con who years earlier lost his wife and still struggles with alcoholism and guilt, even as he hopes to prevent his sons from following his same path.

The new Epix series “Graves” follows former President of the United States Richard Graves (Nick Nolte) as he learns how his policies have damaged the country twenty years after leaving office just as his wife Margaret (Sela Ward) starts following through on political ambitions of her own. The show has garnered mostly positive reviews, with IndieWire’s Ben Travers giving it a B+ and saying that it’s a “well performed, warmly funny tale.” Watch an exclusive clip from this Sunday’s episode featuring the Graves family in therapy and Margaret unleashing a string of criticism against her husband two children (Heléne Yorke and Chris Lowell).

Read More: Nick Nolte Knows What’s Wrong With America, and It’s Not Racism

The series is created by Joshua Michael Stern. He previously wrote and directed the film “Swing Vote,” about a U.S. presidential election that’s determined by the vote...

Apparently there’s an election happening somewhere at the moment. So what better time to test your knowledge of these campaign themed films.

Mr Smith Goes to Washington

The Best Man

Citizen Kane

Seven Days in May

Swing Vote

Bulworth

Bob Roberts

Election

The Manchurian Candidate

Dr Strangelove

Seven Days in May

Advise & Consent

The Candidate

The Campaign

The Contender

The Conquest

Meet John Doe

State of the Union

All the King's Men

The Great McGinty

Silver City

W.

The Ides of March

The American President

Three Days of the Condor

Taxi Driver

The Parallax View

The Candidate

Our Brand Is Crisis

State of Play

No

The Motorcycle Diaries

The Great McGinty

The Grapes of Wrath

Torchy Runs for Mayor

The Last Hurrah

Man of the Year

Napoleon Dynamite

Wag the Dog

Head of State

Continue reading...

Back in October, we reported that Furious 7 director James Wan came aboard to produce a TV remake of the hit 1980s TV series MacGyver for CBS, along with Henry Winkler. While development continues on that series, Variety reports that Lionsgate is now moving forward with their own movie remake of MacGyver. Original series creator Lee David Zlotoff is set to produce alongside Neal H. Moritz, but no other details were revealed.

Back in 2012, James Wan was actually attached to direct a MacGyver movie remake, when New Line Cinema held the rights to the series. The filmmaker eventually moved on to direct Furious 7, and New Line Cinema lost the rights. It still isn't known if he will direct the pilot episode of the MacGyver TV remake, but that project is said to focus on a much younger version of the title character.

The plot will follow a "twentysomething" Angus MacGyver,...

Feast your eyes on the first poster for Mike Epps’ hilarious new comedy Meet The Blacks. The film will release nationwide on April Fool’s Day (April 1st) – no joke!

In the meantime, check out the trailer.

From writer/director/producer Deon Taylor, Meet The Blacks is comedy/horror hybrid spoofing the hit film “The Purge,” and stars Mike Epps (“The Hangover,” “50 Shades of Black,” “Resident Evil: Apocalypse”), George Lopez (“Lopez Tonight,” “Swing Vote,” “Balls of Fury”), Mike Tyson (“The Hangover” series “Scary Movie 5”), Bresha Webb (NBC’s “Truth Be Told”), Zulay Henao (“True Memoirs of An International Assassin”) as well as a ‘who’s who’ of pop culture personalities including Gary Owen (“Ride Along”) Charlie Murphy (“The Chappelle Show”), Tameka “Tiny” Cottle (VH1’s Ti & Tiny with Rap artist husband Ti), gossip columnist Perez Hilton, Paul Mooney (Richard Pryor’s longtime writing partner), Vine star Andrew Bachelor, and comedians Lil Duvall,...

In what would be a solid casting coup for Lionsgate TV’s Epix comedy “Graves,” Anne Heche is in final negotiations to co-star alongside Nick Nolte and Sela Ward in at least seven of ten episodes, TheWrap has learned. Representatives from Epix and Lionsgate TV could not confirm Heche’s casting at this time. The new series from creator Joshua Michael Stern (“Swing Vote”) stars Nolte as a former U.S. President who decides he made mistakes during his administration and sets out to right his wrongs. Ward plays his wife Margaret Graves, who decides to embark on a political career of her own.

Ray Donovan recap Season 3, Episode 6 “Swing Vote” (original air date Aug. 16, 2015): Episode 6 of Ray Donovan “Swing Vote” starts with absentee parents Abby and Ray Donovan actually under the same roof, a surprise for Bridget as she readies herself for school — neither of them noticing as they both are cashed out in separate rooms. This episode, however, shows some hope for the estranged couple. Mickey (Jon Voight) gets a lesson from Mrs. Minassian (Grace Zabriskie) and her grandson on what happens when one of her debtors is late with their payments. Her grandson unleashes some … Continue reading →

The post Ray Donovan recap Season 3 Episode 6: So that’s why Paige is married appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

Susan Sarandon will join Nick Nolte to star in Epix’s upcoming comedy series “Graves,” the network announced Wednesday. In the series, a half-hour political satire produced by Lionsgate, Sarandon will play Margaret Graves, the wife of former U.S. President Richard Graves (Nolte), who decides to follow her own political ambitions as her husband tries to right the wrongs of his administration. The series is set to air in Fall 2016. Joshua Michael Stern (“Swing Vote”) created the series, and will write and executive produce the 10-episode series. Greg Shapiro (“The Hurt Locker”), Keith Eisner (“The Good Wife”) and Eric Weinberg...

This sounds epic.

Susan Sarandon has been cast opposite her Lorenzo’s Oil leading man Nick Nolte in Graves, a 10-episode political satire set to premiere on Epix in Fall 2016, TVLine has learned exclusively.

PhotosFall TV’s Mystery Crossover: Castle Joins S.H.I.E.L.D., Cookie Visits Gotham and More TVLine Reader Theories

The Oscar winner will play Margaret Graves, the wife of former U.S. President Richard Graves (Nolte), who decides to follow her own political ambitions just as her husband embarks on a Don Quixote-like journey to right the wrongs of his administration.

Joshua Michael Stern...

Lee Jones in FX’s new series, The Bastard Executioner

Kurt Sutter is poised to return to FX with a new series. FX has given a series order to the new show from Sutter, who previously created Sons of Anarchy and wrote for The Shield, both of which were on FX as well. Titled The Bastard Executioner, the show’s first season will run for ten episodes, with Brian Grazer onboard as executive producer as well. Relative newcomer Lee Jones will be taking on the titular role, with Sons of Anarchy‘s Katey Sagal, True Blood‘s Stephen Moyer, and Starred Up‘s Sam Spruell among the cast, alongside Sutter himself. The Americans‘ Matthew Rhys is also set to guest star on the series.

The show itself will make its premiere on FX in the fall, though a date has yet to be announced. The show’s synopsis, via FX’s press release,...

It used to be that every network was looking to expand into reality programming. Now, the push seems to be towards scripted series. Epix, a network known mostly for its movie catalogue, has not made much of a splash with its unscripted fare. However, a new partnership with Lionsgate and Paramount Television (and later this year, MGM), may bring some notable, more prestigious programming to the channel (much like Fortitude did for Pivot). The two new series, Graves and Berlin Station (which will be joined by a third original series that has not yet been announced), are both set to debut in the fall of 2016. According to a press release, the Lionsgate project Graves is a single camera half-hour comedy starring Nick Nolte as a former President of the United States. It will follow Nolte’s character’s “Don Quixote-like journey” to right the wrongs of his administration throughout...

Epix announced Thursday that it has ordered two new scripted series: hour-long epionage drama “Berlin Station,” and “Graves,” a half hour comedy starring Nick Nolte. “Graves” will see the Oscar-nominated Nolte as a former U.S. President. Twenty years after his presidency, he realizes that his policies have damaged the country. So, with his young assistant, he goes on a quest to right his administration’s wrongs just as his wife decides to follow her own political ambitions. The 10-episode, straight-to-series order will be produced in partnership with Lionsgate TV. Joshua Michael Stern (“Swing Vote”) created the project and will write,...

While James Wan is putting on his blockbuster shoes in a very big way with the upcoming, possibly Oscar winning "Furious 7," before he signed up to the gasoline smelling franchise, he was attached to direct the big screen version of television's most handy hero, "MacGyver." Wan wound up making "Furious 7" instead, moving on from that reboot, and while there was a script in place by Jason Richman ("Swing Vote," "Bangkok Dangerous"), which was rewritten by Brian and Mark Gunn ("Bring It On Again," "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island"), the director has shared his own pretty wild concept for the "MacGyver" he wanted to make. “...my initial concept was I wanted to do a young college MacGyver who went to Boston, one of the great universities, who’s really brilliant, right? He’s a really smart guy but he’s so smart he could never feel like he fit into a construct,...

Epix is about to become an original series player. I have learned that the premium TV network/VOD service, backed by Viacom, Lionsgate, and MGM, is in negotiations for a 10-episode straight-to-series order for Graves, a half-hour comedy starring Nick Nolte as a former President of the United States. The project, created, executive produced and to be directed by Joshua Michael Stern (Swing Vote) and executive produced by Oscar-winning producer Greg Shapiro (The Hurt…...

The 4th annual Napa Valley Film Festival (Nvff), scheduled for November 12-16, 2014, announced its Narrative and Documentary feature film competition lineups as well as Jury members. The 2014 Festival will screen 22 feature films in competition. The full film program line-up, including out-of-competition special presentations, sneak previews of awards season contenders, and narrative, documentary and animated shorts, will be announced in September.

“Our thoughts are with everyone in the Napa Valley who have suffered losses from the recent earthquake,” said Co-Founder/Artistic Director Marc Lhormer. “We are proud to be part of a community that rallies in support of each other in such a generous and big hearted way. As they say in the business, the show must go on.”

“This is an exceptionally strong year for both the Narrative and Documentary competition programs,” said Program Director Herb Stratford. “These filmmakers have created new works that provoke, inspire, educate and entertain. They are the heart of our program each year, which includes more than 100 new independent films and advance studio screenings, and we are excited to announce their participation in the festival.”

Directors of the Narrative and Documentary films in competition participate in Nvff’s unique Artists-in-Residence Program presented in partnership with the incomparable Meadowood Napa Valley. Directors stay at the luxury resort for six nights during the festival and are treated to special events and workshops with their competition group and industry mentors. Serving as faculty for a set of Master Classes at Nvff 2014 are producer Ted Hope ( Adventureland, 21 Grams); writer/director Joshua Michael Stern (Jobs, Swing Vote) writer/director Joe Carnahan (The Blacklist; The Grey, Smokin’ Aces); producer Pam Koffler (Killer Films); and producer J. Todd Harris ( The Kids are All Right; Bottle Shock); Ryan Harrington (Tribeca Film Institute); producer Jason Berman (Struck by Lightning, Luv); producer Anne Carey (Archer Gray Productions); executives Tom Quinn (RADiUS) and David Glasser (The Weinstein Company). Meadowood Napa Valley will also award $10,000 to the winning filmmakers in both the Narrative and Documentary competition categories at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony on Sunday, November 16.

Narrative Competition Section

Films in the Narrative competition section feature actors Anne Hathaway, Billie Joe Armstrong, Elizabeth Banks, Tate Donovan, Rachael Harris, Zoe Kravitz, Stephen Lang, Leighton Meester, Debra Messing, Dev Patel, Kyra Sedgwick, Chloe Sevigny and Paul Wesley, among others. The 12 films selected include:

"Thank You A Lot"- Music agent and manager Jack Hand has a bad reputation and an even worse track record. He has only two clients left: an indie band on the verge of a breakup and a part-time hip-hop artist. Jack’s future hinges on signing the one person he is barely on speaking terms with — his estranged father, a respected and reclusive country singer/songwriter. "East Side Sushi"- Juana‘s work – preparing fruit for the family’s sidewalk cart – is steady, but hardly her life’s calling. Despite the objections and concerns of her family, Juana decides to pursue her dream of becoming an expert sushi chef, to go where her heart tells her, not where she is expected to be. "Fall To Rise" - Principal dancer Lauren Drake is beautiful, talented and famous. When Lauren is released from her company after being sidelined by an injury, she quickly becomes frustrated with her new domestic lifestyle. At a performance by another dance company, she meets and teams up with Des, a former dancer who is also eager to have a second chance in the dance world. "Little Accidents" (Isa: William Morris Endeavor Entertainment) - In a small West Virginia town reeling from a recent tragic accident in the local mine, a fresh unfortunate incident in the woods leaves a young boy dead. Meanwhile Owen, an injured miner struggling to adjust to his new life aboveground, joins the search for the first boy who is presumed lost in the woods. "Like Sunday, Like Rain" - Reggie Kipper is a sweet, awkward cello prodigy, a composer and overall genius. He’s about to graduate from high school and enroll at MIT — and he’s is only twelve years old. Eleanor Fallon is a 23-year old struggling musician who meets Reggie when she is hired to be his au pair, and the unlikely duo embarks on a summer adventure that neither of them ever expected. "Sun Belt Express"- Allen King, a man living on the Arizona/Mexico border, finds out what his breaking point is when his ex-wife demands money, and his job teaching at a college south of the border evaporates. Allen then finds a unique way to supplant his income by transporting illegal aliens in the trunk of his car. "Sam & Amira" (Isa: Preferred Entertainment) - Sam is an army veteran struggling to assimilate into normal life stateside. He works a variety of odd jobs, tries his hand at stand-up comedy, and is recruited by his cousin into some shady investment dealings. Sam’s already complicated life is made more so by Amira, an Iraqi woman dealing with her own issues who is the daughter of an old army colleague. "Song One" (Isa: Lotus Entertainment) - Estranged from her family, Franny returns home when an accident leaves her brother comatose. Retracing his life as an aspiring singer-songwriter, she tracks down his favorite musician, James Forester. Against the backdrop of Brooklyn’s music scene, Franny and James develop an unexpected relationship and face the realities of their lives. "The Road Within" (Isa: Panorama Media) - Vincent has Tourette Syndrome. When his mother dies, he becomes obsessed with scattering her ashes by the ocean. Too much for his father to handle, Vincent is sent to a residential treatment center in Nevada where he befriends two other “inmates” struggling with their own personal issues. "Kinderwald" - Pennsylvania wilderness, 1885. John Linden, a hard-working German immigrant, is making a go of homesteading with his brother’s widow and her two young sons. John’s visually and spiritually idyllic world is thrown into utter chaos when the two boys go missing while off playing in the woods. "Wildlike" (Isa: Panorama Media) - Mackenzie is a fourteen-year-old girl whose father died last year. When her struggling mother checks herself into a recovery center, Mackenzie is sent from their Seattle home to live with her uncle in Alaska. At first he seems a supportive caretaker, but when his infatuation crosses a sexual line, Mackenzie runs away. With no one else to turn to, she shadows a solitary backpacker, Bartlett, a widowed man with scars of his own, into the beauty and danger of America’s last frontier.

Documentary Competition Section

"American Native" - For years, the legend of the Jackson Whites tribe has been told, passed down from generation to generation of New Jersey suburbanites. While the garish stories and tall tales have never been hard to find, the truth behind them has. Accessing the community is not easy; few outsiders have been able to penetrate the insular walls formed from centuries of discrimination. "Botso" - Dr. Botso Korisheli, 91 and still teaching music along with his unique philosophy, has a fascinating and unforgettable life story. Born in the former Soviet State of Georgia, Botso witnessed his father imprisoned under orders from Josef Stalin while his home was taken over by the Kgb. Forced to dig ditches for the Soviet army, Botso was then captured by the Germans. "Flying The Feathered Edge" - Robert A. “Bob” Hoover, age 92, is considered by many to be our greatest living aviator. Nicknamed “The Pilot’s Pilot” by his peers, Bob is largely unknown outside aviation circles despite his staggering array of accomplishments. Following a storied career during WWII as a fighter pilot, Bob continued to serve for years as one of our best test pilots. Mr. Hoover will be in attendance for screenings and Q&As. "Happy Valley" (Isa: Submarine Entertainment) - Few sports dynasties in the modern era have had a larger and longer-lasting profile than college football’s Penn State and its legendary coach Joe Paterno. State College, Pennsylvania, is in the heart of an area known as Happy Valley, ground zero of a proud football tradition for decades. When the shocking sex abuse scandal of assistant coach Jerry Sandusky rocked that town and college in 2011, the impact was unprecedented. "Havana Curveball" - At age 13 and preparing for his Bar Mitzvah, Mica takes to heart his rabbi’s injunction to help “heal the world.” Mica imagines himself a hero for other kids, and hatches a grand plan to send baseballs, bats and gloves to Cuba. Mica knows only that Cubans are poor and love baseball, and that Cuba “saved” his grandpa’s life when he was escaping from Nazi Germany. "States of Grace" - Dr. Grace Dammann’s life was forever altered when a driver crashed head-on into her car on the Golden Gate Bridge. After a seven-week coma and numerous surgeries, Grace miraculously regained consciousness, with her cognitive abilities almost entirely intact, but her body left shattered and severely disabled. "Underwater Dreams" - The epic story of four teenage boys from the Arizona desert who dare to go up against college engineering students from MIT. Inspired by two energetic high school science teachers, the boys build a robot from hardware store parts and enter an underwater robotics competition sponsored by Nasa. "An Honest Liar" - For as long as there have been magicians and illusionists, there have been doubters and debunkers making sure that the general public doesn’t get taken for a ride. One of the greatest illusionists of his era was “The Amazing Randi,” who made the shift from magic and escape acts to exposing the frauds who prey on unsuspecting victims. "Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank" (Isa: Preferred Content) - Few members of the U.S. Congress have ever been as polarizing and revolutionary as Barney Frank has been over the past 40 years. Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank examines the career, passions and legacy of our first openly gay Congressman. This rare and intimate documentary is entertaining, enlightening and thought-provoking. "#chicagoGirl: The Social Network Takes On A Dictator" (Isa: Preferred Content) - In #chicagoGirl, we meet freedom fighters in the streets of Homs and Damascus along with the stateside collection of exiles working to return Syria to a stable and human rights-respecting country. Will 21st century tools of change stand up to guns and violence and terror in the streets? Narrative Features Jury

Christine Vachon , (Producer, "Boys Don’t Cry," "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," "Far From Heaven")

Peter Baxter ( Co-founder/Director Slamdance Film Festival)

Dierk Sinderman (Hollywood Foreign Press Association)

Lisa Truitt ( Producer, James Cameron’s "Deepsea Challenge 3D,""Mysteries of Egypt")

Don Lewis (Producer; Editor Film Threat)

Documentary Features and Shorts Jury

Morgan Neville ("Twenty Feet From Stardom")

Tiffany Shlain ("The Tribe; Connected: An Autobiography About Love," "Death & Technology")

Freida Lee Mock ("Anita. G-Dog,""Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision," "Return with Honor")

Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine ("Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden,""Ballets Russes").

Narrative Shorts Jury

Joshua Michael Stern ("Jobs,""Swing Vote," "Neverwas")

Ralph Macchio (Actor, "The Karate Kid;" Director, "Across Grace Alley")

Neil Berkeley ("Beauty in Embarrassing;" Founder Brkl)

Animated Shorts

Bill Plympton (The King of Indie Animation)

Adam Glick (Amazon Web Services)

Ryan Tudhope (Atomic Fiction)

About The Napa Valley Film Festival

The Napa Valley Film Festival (Nvff) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Napa, California. The ultimate celebration of film, food and wine, Nvff lights up the picturesque towns of Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga at the most colorful time of year. Nvff features over 100 new independent films and studio sneak previews screening in 12 beautiful venues throughout four walkable villages, as 300 visiting filmmakers interact with audiences at screenings and intimate events. Attendees enjoy film panels & culinary demonstrations, wine tasting pavilions, the spectacular Festival Gala, Celebrity Tributes, Awards Ceremony, and an array of parties, VIP receptions and winemaker dinners and more. For information or to buy passes, visit NapaValleyFilmFest.org...

50 to 1

Written by Faith Conroy and Jim Wilson

Directed by Jim Wilson

USA, 2014

Imagine, if you will, a horse race that starts and finishes in a blink of an eye. We see your choice winner bucking behind the starting gate. His chances of winning are slim to none, fifty to one in fact. You may not know anything about the horse, but you like the sound of his name on the program, and figure you can make some nice cash from a long shot. The gate opens and your horse bellows out the door. Immediately cut to the first bend and he is trailing behind the team. Now, immediately cut to the last and he strides to the finish line by a large margin. Victory is yours, but to what fulfillment? Sure you’re happy that your horse won, and heck, you might have made a serious winning. You probably...

There’s before The Dark Knight, and there’s after The Dark Knight. Before The Dark Knight, superhero movies were big for Hollywood and Christopher Nolan was a culty stylist and everyone loved Batman. After The Dark Knight, superhero movies were the defining Hollywood product and Christopher Nolan was everyone’s favorite Hollywood director and everyone really loved Batman.

You can try to explain The Dark Knight’s success by looking at the underlying factors of where we were at at the time — “we” as a nation, “we” as a global moviegoing public, “we” as a geekifying popular culture. A brutal election year faced America.

It wouldn't be a proper Kevin Costner renaissance without a sports movie on his docket, and fortunately there's one such addition to the actor's resume opening this Friday.  Following his turns in superhero and action movies in the past year, Draft Day puts Costner in an NFL-set drama. Outside of conversations his characters have in Swing Vote and Three Days to Kill, this is actually his first foray into football territory. Mostly he's known for baseball movies, with two in particular being the fan favorites: Bull Durham and Field of Dreams. Released a year apart, they're quite different in spite of their shared pasttime, the former a love story and the latter a fantasy. When we polled users on Twitter for the answer to which is the best, though, Durham...

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Limp thriller is not Kev's finest hour, while Pompeii blows up – in the wrong way, leaving The Lego Movie to carry on building

• More Us box office analysis here

Kevin Costner's waning appeal

He had a small but significant role in last summer's hit Man of Steel, but Kevin Costner has shown that these days he cannot be relied upon to carry a movie. The last time he headlined a movie was in 2008, with the lighthearted drama Swing Vote, which earned $16.3m (£9.72m) at the box office. That same year Costner starred in The New Daughter. What? Exactly. So it came as little surprise to see Costner's latest, 3 Days to Kill, debuted at No 2 on $12.3m (£7.38m). Suddenly the $55m (£33m) final gross of seafaring action-adventure The Guardian, which was hardly a massive achievement back in 2006, begins to look relatively impressive. Historically Costner headline movies have never opened strongly,...

It’s been some time since the heyday of Kevin Costner’s prime. I’m talking about those sweet years between 1987 (The Untouchables) and 1994 (Wyatt Earp), when he was a regular box office draw, an award-winning director, and the president of sports movies. It’s not that he disappeared exactly. In fact, Costner’s been remarkably consistent in appearing in almost a movie a year. It’s more that the quality and profile of those films has diminished, and him a bit too in the process. There have been exceptions of course – Thirteen Days, Open Range, The Upside of Anger, TV’s Hatfields & McCoys. But a look at his projects between 2006 and 2013 – The Guardian, Mr. Brooks, Swing Vote, The New Daughter, The Company Men &ndash...

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Catch the pleasing first trailer as well as the poster for 50 to 1 starring Skeet Ulrich, Christian Kane and William Devane. This is the story about a misfit group of New Mexico cowboys who find themselves on the journey of a lifetime when their crooked-footed racehorse called Mine That Bird qualifies for the Kentucky Derby. The cowboys face a series of mishaps on their way to Churchill Downs, becoming the ultimate underdogs in a final showdown with the world’s racing elite. It's not Seabiscuit, or Disney's Secretariat, as well, it doesn't have the budget, nor is it as serious, but looks to be more lighthearted and fun. Jim Wilson, producer of various Kevin Costner films like Swing Vote, Mr. Brooks, The Postman, Wyatt Earp, The Bodyguard and Dances with Wolves, directs from a script he wrote with Faith Conroy.

Mine That Bird, the underdog racehorse that won the 2009 Kentucky Derby, is the focus of a new Hollywood film 50 To 1 that opens in theaters March 21, 2014.

The news was announced by 50 To 1 director, producer, co-writer and racehorse owner Jim Wilson (Oscar-winning producer of “Dances With Wolves”).

Skeet Ulrich (Jericho, “Scream,” “As Good As It Gets”), Christian Kane (Leverage), William Devane (24, “The Dark Knight Rises”), Todd Lowe (True Blood, Gilmore Girls) and newcomer Madelyn Deutch star in the film alongside real-life jockey Calvin Borel, who plays himself in the picture. Faith Conroy co-wrote the script with Wilson.

(via Christian Kane’s Facebook page)

The film, which is rooted in New Mexico and shot in over 30 locations throughout the state—from Santa Fe to Las Cruces—will kick off the theatrical release with the world premiere in Albuquerque at the historic KiMo Theatre on March 19th.

50 To 1 is about a misfit group of...

Exclusive: Paradigm has signed Joshua Michael Stern. He directed Jobs, the film that starred Ashton Kutcher as Apple wunderkind Steve Jobs. Stern writes and directs his projects, and also he often generates the financing. Jobs, his third film, closed the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and was released in August by Open Road Films. Before that, he co-wrote and directed Disney’s Swing Vote, the Capra-esque fable that starred Kevin Costner as a working-class slacker in a small New Mexico border town whose vote will decide a presidential election. Stern made his feature debut with the 2005 Toronto pic Neverwas. Stern came from CAA.

Editor’s note: Kate’s review originally ran during this year’s Sundance Film Festival, but we’re re-running it as the film opens in limited theatrical release this weekend. Apple founder and technology visionary Steve Jobs changed the way the world connects and computes, created one of the world’s most revolutionary companies and recently died, so of course he is now being remembered by way of an unsatisfying biopic that could have been far more creative and inspired than the final product. Director Joshua Michael Stern (best remembered for the completely forgettable Swing Vote) works off a script by newbie scribe Matt Whiteley (a former marketing wonk who was commissioned to write the script by his boss, producer Mark Hulme) that, while well-paced and interesting, also fails to illuminate much about the man and skips over large chunks of his life. As Jobs, Ashton Kutcher does a fine job (sorry, had...

A better title for this film might have been "The History of Apple Computers."

"Jobs" aims to be the first biopic about tech giant Steve Jobs (Sony's Aaron Sorkin project is next), but instead of offering insight into the man, it's a chronology of Apple and the advent of personal computers.

Ashton Kutcher plays Jobs convincingly enough. The "Two and a Half Men" star looks uncannily like the Apple co-founder, right down to the lumbering gait, and there's no trace of Kutcher's kooky-character past here. But with a script by first-time screenwriter Matt Whitely that focuses more on corporate events than characters, there's no chance to look deeper into the man behind the Mac.

Directed by Joshua Michael Stern ("Swing Vote"), "Jobs" opens with the Apple chief introducing the first iPod in 2001. Then it jumps back almost 30 years, when Jobs was a scruffy, barefoot, Reed College dropout on campus just for kicks.

Chicago – The new film about the founder of Apple Computers, “Jobs,” is a tour de force for Ashton Kutcher, in his portrayal of Steve Jobs. Opposite to him is familiar character actor Josh Gad, as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Creating the ethereal atmosphere in the film is director Joshua Michael Stern.

Josh Gad and Joshua Michael Stern were recently in Chicago on a promotional tour for their new film, and provided insight to capturing the essence of what made those two “Steves” tick. Josh Gad has been a journeyman actor, cast in five TV series over the years (like “1600 Penn”), character film parts (“The Internship”) and in his most high profile, originating the character of Elder Arnold Cunningham on opening night of the Broadway smash “The Book of Mormon.” Joshua Michael Stern made his directorial debut with “Neverwas” (2005), and followed that up with “Swing Vote” (2008).

The Two Steves: Ashton Kutcher...

Unlike one of Jobs' own innovative creations, the details in this disappointing film don't add up to one spectacular whole

I'm not what you would really consider an Apple fanboy. I have an iPhone and I'm typing this on a falling-apart MacBook – a Pro, like a hooker – but I don't really know much about Steve Jobs, the modern messiah of the pocket gadget age. I know the basic outline, of course, as does anyone with even the vaguest knowledge of pop culture, but I'm certainly not an obsessive. But what I do know about is movies, and after seeing the premiere of Jobs at the Sundance film festival I can definitively say this: it sucks.

Yes, Jobs is bad, even worse if you spell it as jOBS like Diet Mountain Dew spilled on your keyboard and the shift key got stuck forever. It starts off in 2001 with Ashton Kutcher...

Another trailer has been released for Ashton Kutcher's Steve Jobs biopic Jobs. It's a bit more upbeat than the last trailer was, and it makes it look like a film worth watching, and it is! I just wouldn't pay to see it on the big screen. That's not Kutcher's fault either, he was actually decent in the film. It was just lacking in its story and direction. It could have been a much better movie, but that's ok, we've still got Aaron Sorkin's film to look forward to.

We follow Steve Jobs (Ashton Kutcher) from the enthusiasm and self-discovery of his youth through his darkest days, brightest triumphs, and the ultimate power of his drive, his passions, and his undying will to change everything we thought possible. Dark, honest, and uncompromising, “Jobs” plunges into the depths of Steve Jobs’ character, uncovering his driving motivations, his gifts, his flaws,...

Open Road Films has unveiled a new trailer for the upcoming Steve Jobs biopic, called "Jobs," starring Ashton Kutcher as Jobs and Josh Gad as Steve Wozniak. Check it out below. Plot: The story will cover years from 1971 to 2000, showing Steve Jobs (Kutcher) go from a wayward hippie to co-founder of Apple, where he became one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of our time. The new movie is directed by Michael Stern (Swing Vote) and co-stars Dermot Mulroney, Lukas Haas, Jk Simmons and Matthew Modine. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and is now set to hit theaters on August 16th. Trailer:...

"Welcome to Apple Computers." After the first full trailer showed off pretty much the entire story arc of Steve Jobs in the appropriately named biopic Jobs from director Joshua Michel Stern, a new trailer is here full of critical acclaim, including a one-word pull-quote from our very own Alex Billington. This trailer uses Macklemore's chart-topping track Can't Hold Us, complete with a clever audio edit to fit with the presence of Macintosh personal computers, and the same cheesy but inspirational vibe that the entire film encompasses as it chronicles the highs and lows of Jobs' pursuit for technological innovation. Watch below! Here's the second trailer for Joshua Michael Stern's Jobs, direct from the film's YouTube channel: Jobs is directed by Joshua Michael Stern (Neverwas, Swing Vote) and written by Matt Whiteley and tells the true story of one of the greatest entrepreneurs in American history by chronicling the...

A lot of people groaned and complained when Ashton Kutcher was cast as Steve Jobs, including me. Yeah, he looked the part, but could he really pull off the acting aspect of it? Surprisingly, he did really well, but unfortunately, the movie itself just wasn't that good. It played out like a decent made for TV movie, but not the caliber of HBO. It was more in the range of a network like Lifetime.

We've got a new behind the scenes featurette for the film, along with a couple of clips. One of which is from Instagram, which seems pointless to me, but I posted it with the rest of the stuff anyway. It features Jobs talking about type face, and the actual clip is a scene that includes Jobs and Steve Wozniak (Josh Gad) shooting off ideas for the company name.

We follow Steve Jobs from the enthusiasm and...

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels..." It's an iconic quote spoken by Steve Jobs that already gets thrown around all over the place, but why not one more time to promote the biopic about Steve Jobs. Open Road Films has debuted the first ever, extraordinary 15-second long, revolutionary, game-changing Instagram Trailer for Jobs, starring Ashton Kutcher as Apple co-found and innovator Steve Jobs directed by Joshua Michael Stern. This is going for the prestige with all the revolutionary footage and all that, but it's still just a 15-second TV spot tease uploaded to Instagram. Josh Gad also co-stars as Steve Wozniak. Enjoy! Here's the brand new "#InstagramTrailer" for Joshua Michael Stern's Jobs, direct from Twitter/Instagram: Jobs is directed by Joshua Michael Stern (Neverwas, Swing Vote) and written by Matt Whiteley and tells the true story of one of the greatest entrepreneurs in American history by...

Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs in a movie about the visionary Apple co-founder? Hey, it’s almost crazy enough to work! Just call it “That Apple Show”. Or some such. Anyways, take a gander at a new poster (above) and three new images (below) from “Swing Vote” director Joshua Michael Stern’s “Jobs”. They have apparently gotten rid of the rather silly “jOBS” titling and are now just going with the simple “Jobs”. That’s still a pretty interesting title for a movie. Imagine someone who doesn’t own an Apple product (a lot of people out there) who just heard the title “Jobs” and I wonder what they would think the movie is about? Just something that occurred to me. Moving on… The extraordinary story of Steve Jobs, the original innovator and ground-breaking entrepreneur who let nothing stand in the way of greatness. The film tells the epic and...

The first biopic on Apple founder Steve Jobs hitting big screens is Joshua Michael Stern's Jobs, featuring the surprise casting of Ashton Kutcher as the titular technological genius. The film isn't abysmal, but the scope of the story is limited and feels more like a TV movie than anything. Kutcher's performance isn't terrible, but the film only gives him a chance to be the angry, misunderstood workaholic, or the softspoken, inspirational mastermind, with little room for any middle ground (watch the trailer). Now a new poster tries to catch the eye using the multicolor palette of the old Apple logo, but it looks like Predator vision. Look! Here's the first poster for Joshua Michael Stern's Jobs from Moviefone: Jobs is directed by Joshua Michael Stern (Neverwas, Swing Vote) and written by Matt Whiteley and tells the true story of one of the greatest entrepreneurs in American history by...

Next month, the Steve Jobs biopic, "Jobs," will arrive in theaters.

Ashton Kutcher stars as the technology visionary, portraying the Apple co-founder in his early life as he begins to work on computers. Screened at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, "Jobs" was directed by Joshua Michael Stern ("Swing Vote") and also stars Josh Gad, Dermot Mulroney, Matthew Modine, Amanda Crew, and James Woods.

"Jobs" arrives in theaters on Aug. 16. Check out exclusive photos of Kutcher as Jobs below.

Of the two films that have arisen surrounding the life of the late Steve Jobs, I’ll admit that Aaron Sorkin’s is definitely the one I’m looking forward to most. That being said, I’m a big fan of both Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad, and am intrigued to see what they bring to the table for Joshua Michael Stern’s take on the renowned entrepreneur’s life.

The film is set to open this August in the Us, and Open Road have released the first trailer over on Yahoo Movies, giving us our first full look at the film, having seen the first clip surface just before its debut at Sundance this year.

Our man in the Us, Ty Cooper, was on hand to see the film out in Park City, and he was very much unimpressed by what he saw – you can read our review here.

A new trailer for the Steve Jobs biopic ‘Jobs’, with Ashton Kutcher (Two and a Half Men) in the starring role, has been released. The theatrical clip gives a better view of what’s to come from director Joshua Michael Stern’s (Swing Vote) efforts at capturing the visionary’s journey as the inventor and co-founder of Apple. The clip kicks off with a barefoot and rebellious Kutcher walking the campus after dropping out of college. From there the trailer shows off Kutcher and Josh Gad (The Rocker) as Steve Wozniak, teaming on their start-up that would eventually turn into a billion dollar corporation. The trailer closes with a quote from Jobs. ”Here’s [ Read More ]

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