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In den USA tritt „Gladiator II“ in diesem Jahr direkt gegen „Wicked“ an – und auch 2025 ist die Konstellation dort eine ähnliche. Denn parallel zur Fortsetzung der Musical-Adaption wurde von Paramount ein hochkarätiges Remake terminiert – nun auch für Deutschland. Parallel dazu wurden drei bereits gesetzte Filme mit neuen Startdaten versehen.

Regisseur Edgar Wright schickt Glen Powell im November 2025 als „Running Man“ auf die Leinwand (Credit: Imago/Abacapress/Marechal Aurore)

In den USA stand schon seit Anfang des Monats fest, dass es im November nächsten Jahres erneut zu einem Duell zweier Tentpoles von Paramount und Universal kommt – denn dort wird „Running Man“, ein von Edgar Wright inszeniertes Remake des Actionklassikers nach Vorlage von Stephen King, am 21. November 2025 starten – parallel zu „Wicked – Teil 2“.

Nun gab Paramount auch den deutschen Starttermin bekannt – und dieser entspricht jenem in den USA, ergo werden (wenngleich schon am 20. November) auch hierzulande „Running Man“, in dem Glen Powell die...

We’re obviously completely self-aware that we’re publishing this list the Monday after Deadpool & Wolverine made $205 million at the box office. That’s the whole point of being meta, right? Or if you want to get Merriam-Webster involved, something that “shows or suggests an explicit awareness of itself or oneself as a member of its category: cleverly self-referential.”

That said, when it comes to movies, this kind of self-awareness can cover a wide range of narrative devices. A character quietly acknowledging the audience can be meta. Other times, meta scenes can intentionally break apart a film’s reality. Meta doesn’t even necessarily need to be done for the sake of humor either, as plenty of movies — from Frederico Fellini’s 8½ to the horror thriller Funny Games — get meta without much humorous intention.

But for the purposes of this list, which Cracked writers Tim Grierson and Matt Solomon and...

Gelungene Intros ist man von Paramount bei Kinomessen durchaus gewohnt. In diesem Jahr hat man sich aber selbst übertroffen. Episch war aber beileibe nicht nur der Einstieg in die CineEurope-Präsentation.

„Gladiator II“ war episches Centerpiece der Paramount-Präsentation (Credit: Spot media & film)

Würde man Studiopräsentationen nach dem Grad des dahintersteckenden Showmanships bewerten: Die CineEurope hätte vermutlich schon zu Beginn des dritten Tages einen Gewinner gefunden. Denn epischer, witziger und selbstironischer als der Clip, mit dem der große Paramount-Auftritt eröffnet wurde, geht es eigentlich nicht mehr. Gut, das dachte man schon in vergangenen Jahren vom einen oder anderen Einspieler, den das Team um Mark Viane (President of International Distribution) auf die Leinwand zauberte. Aber wer Vincent de La Tour und Tobias Riehl (neben etlichen internationalen Kolleginnen und Kollegen) nicht in ihren Rollen als Gladiatoren gesehen hat, hat wirklich, wirklich etwas verpasst.

Auch ansonsten hatte man sich einiges einfallen lassen, um das Fachpublikum...

Jeanette Charles, a British actress famous for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in countless films and television series including The Naked Gun, National Lampoon’s European Vacation, and Austin Powers in Goldmember, has died at the age of 96.

Hailing from Essex, Charles ironically had trouble obtaining roles in her early days due to her resemblance to the Queen of England. However, when she began to receive lucrative offers to portray the Queen both in advertisements and in film, she began to embrace her role as an impersonator.

Charles’ most notable on-screen appearances as Queen Elizabeth came in 1985’s National Lampoon’s European Vacation, where she appeared in Ellen Griswold’s dreams; in 1988’s The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, where she was the target of an assassination plot at an Anaheim Angels baseball game — and also threw a screwball; and in 2002’s Austin Powers in Goldmember, where she honored Austin with knighthood.

Exclusive: Paramount has rounded out the cast for its untitled Naked Gun reboot with four additions: Liza Koshy (Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts), current WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes, Cch Pounder (Rustin) and Busta Rhymes.

No word on the roles they’re playing, but we’re told Rhodes will only be making a cameo. As previously announced, Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand and Danny Huston will also star. Neeson plays Detective Frank Drebin, with Hauser as his partner Ed. Roles for Anderson and Huston haven’t yet emerged, though it’s understood that Durand will be playing the film’s villain.

Akiva Schaffer is directing and exec producing the comedy, slated for release on July 18, 2025. Dan Gregor and Doug Mand wrote the draft script along with Schaffer. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are producing via Fuzzy Door, with Daniel M. Stillman also serving as EP.

Known...

Exclusive: Danny Huston (The Dead Don’t Hurt) has signed on to star alongside Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser and Kevin Durand in the untitled Naked Gun reboot from Paramount Pictures.

Details as to the film’s plot, as well as Huston’s role in it, are under wraps. But Neeson will play Detective Frank Drebin, as previously announced, with Hauser as his partner Ed. It’s not yet clear who Anderson will be playing, though it’s understood that Durand will be taking on one of the film’s villain roles.

Akiva Schaffer is directing and exec producing the comedy, slated for release on July 18, 2025. Dan Gregor and Doug Mand wrote the draft script along with Schaffer. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are producing via Fuzzy Door, with Daniel M. Stillman also serving as EP.

Known for their absurd scenarios and slapstick humor, past Naked Gun films centered on the misadventures of Drebin,...

Paul Walter Hauser is ready to fight crime alongside Liam Neeson in the reboot of the Naked Gun franchise.

Hauser is set to play Captain Ed in director Akiva Schaffer’s untitled new Naked Gun film that Paramount Pictures plans to release July 18, 2025. George Kennedy previously played the role in the original film trilogy that kicked off with the 1988 comedy The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

Dan Gregor and Doug Mand penned the new movie’s script with Schaffer. The two scribes previously wrote the director’s Emmy-winning Disney+ feature Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins of Fuzzy Door produce the project that is based on the Naked Gun film franchise and the television series Police Squad! from Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker. Daniel M. Stillman serves as executive producer.

Hauser joins the cast that includes Neeson and Pamela Anderson. While plot details are under wraps,...

Exclusive: Paul Walter Hauser’s hot streak continues. After seeing New Line lock up rights to the authorized Chris Farley biopic in which he’ll star for director Josh Gad, the actor has signed on to the untitled Naked Gun reboot from Paramount Pictures.

Hauser joins an ensemble that also includes Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, as previously announced. He’ll take on the role of Ed, Frank Drebin’s partner, which was inhabited in prior Naked Gun films by George Kennedy, and in the preceding series Police Squad! by Alan North.

Akiva Schaffer is directing and exec producing the comedy, slated for release in theaters on July 18, 2025. Dan Gregor and Doug Mand wrote the draft script along with Schaffer, with whom they partnered on the Emmy-winning film Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are producing via Fuzzy Door, with Daniel M. Stillman also serving as EP.

10. Not Another Teen Movie (2001)

Tired of the repetitive teen rom-coms of the 1990s, director Joel Gallen decided to make his own — and arguably, one of the best by far. In perhaps the most classic teen movie tale, a popular high-school jock gets challenged by his friends to turn a shy and bullied girl into a prom queen… And hopelessly falls in love with her.

You can watch Not Another Teen Movie on Hulu, Netflix, and Prime Video.

9. Scary Movie (2000)

A very similar thought occurred to Keenen Ivory Wayans, the director of Scary Movie who pumped his flick full with the most popular horror cliches of the 1990s — and still produced a greatly entertaining film. A group of teenagers who accidentally killed a man is haunted by a mysterious mumbling killer who picks them off one by one.

You can watch Scary Movie on Max, Hulu, Netflix, and Prime Video.

8. This Is Spinal Tap...

The best things come in threes, especially stories. In Western nations, we like a three-act structure in which we set a status quo, watch our heroes fall, and then see them return to greatness. Some of these stories cannot be held within a single movie. For those epics, those monumental narratives, the movie trilogy was born. Trilogies represent some of the best that cinema has to offer, movies that changed the culture and the art form. The trilogy might vary in quality from film to film, but together these three films tell a story that cannot be ignored.

Before we get too far, let’s lay out our criteria. The trilogies chosen here are those intended to be a trilogy, either from the outset or by the end of the third film. Thus we’re including things such as the Toy Story and Indiana Jones trilogies, even though those continued on with further entries.

The Naked Gun, also known as Police Squad!, is an American crime spoof-comedy franchise. Having started in 1982 with the TV series Police Squad! aired on the ABC Network, the franchise includes one TV series and three movies, adapted from an original story written by the comedy filmmaking trio Jim Abrahams, and brothers David and Jerry Zucker.

The lead role of Detective Sergeant Franklin ‘Frank’ Drebin in The Naked Gun is played by the late actor Leslie Nielsen. Several other characters appear in the films. One of them is Detective Fred Nordberg, who is portrayed by O. J. Simpson. Recently, creator David Zucker revealed why he had Simpson play the role of Nordberg.

A still from The Naked Gun (1988)

David Zucker on Why O. J. Simpson Was Cast in the Role of Detective Nordberg

O. J. Simpson is a former football running back who played in the NFL for 11 seasons. He...

Are you ready for the return of bumbling detective Frank Drebin to the big screen? Wait, chances are if you are under 35 you have no idea what we’re referring to. The character was a masterstroke of deadpan humor played by Leslie Nielsen in three motion pictures beginning with “The Naked Gun: From The Files of Police Squad!” in 1988. Today, Paramount Pictures revealed the long-rumored reboot starring Liam Neeson will arrive in theaters on July 18, 2025.

Continue reading Liam Neeson’s ‘Naked Gun’ Reboot Set For July 2025 at The Playlist.

Created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, the TV series Police Squad! only ran for six episodes back in 1982, but it spawned a popular film franchise that so far consists of three films: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The Naked Gun 21⁄2: The Smell of Fear, and Naked Gun 331⁄3: The Final Insult, all three of which had Pat Proft on board as a screenwriter. When it was announced that a straight-to-video sequel called The Naked Gun 4: Rhythm of Evil was moving ahead in 2009 with none of the original creative team involved, that original creative team didn’t react well. That movie didn’t make it into production, but now that a reboot of The Naked Gun is moving forward at Paramount with Akiva Schaffer set to direct the film from a screenplay by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, Mark Hentemann, Alec Sulkin, and producer Seth MacFarlane,...

Turning a short-lived parody TV series into a feature film was always going to involve taking a chance, but as the team behind the Naked Gun franchise learned, it wasn’t quite on the level of sticking your face in a fan.

Following the breakout success of the 1980 smash hit Airplane!, that film’s writer-director team — David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker — found themselves grounded when ABC promptly canceled their police-spoofing show Police Squad! in 1982. But the series’ co-creators refused to let the concept die and went on to adapt it for The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, which Paramount Pictures released theatrically on Dec. 2, 1988. The movie, featuring Leslie Nielsen reprising his Police Squad! lead role as accident-prone police lieutenant Frank Drebin, also starred Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalbán, George Kennedy and O. J. Simpson.

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the original Naked Gun film that...

Priscilla Presley’s Dating History(Photo Credit –Instagram/IMDb/wikimedia)

Priscilla Ann Presley, the former wife of Elvis Presley, is a famous personality in the showbiz. Priscilla met the King of Rock n Roll when she was just 14 years old and he was twenty-four. They got married in 1967 and parted ways in 1973. Priscilla never married after her divorce from Elvis; however, she did date some renowned personalities. Today, we bring you a list of celebs, she dated after the demise of her ex-husband.

Priscilla reportedly was interested in modeling and modeled for a local store once. She appeared in movies like The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane and more. Priscilla also did the popular soap opera Dallas for a few years; however, Elvis allegedly did not want her to have a career. Scroll below to get the deets.

After separating from Elvis,...

Summer isn’t over yet but HBO and its streaming arm Max are already moving on to fall. With its list of new releases for August 2023, Max is focusing on football! The American kind, mind you, not the actually footy kind.

August 2023 sees the release of two major football documentaries on HBO and Max. The first is the premiere of Hard Knocks on Aug. 10. The new season of long-running NFL training camp docuseries will center on the New York Jets, new employers of legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers. On Aug. 23, Max will air the aptly named Bs High. The doc tells the stranger-than-fiction story of high school football team Bishop Sycamore, which pulled off one of the more notable sports scams you’re likely to ever hear about.

Not of the football variety but in keeping with the North American sports theme will be season 2 of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty on Aug.

DeVaughn Nixon, Quincy Isaiah, and Delante Desouza in ‘Winning Time’ season 2 (Photograph by Warrick Page/HBO)

Hard Knock‘s new season focusing on the New York Jets and the second season of the original drama Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty join Max’s August 2023 lineup, along with Tracy Morgan’s latest comedy special. August’s schedule also includes the season finales of And Just Like That… and Warrior.

Rap Sh!t season two premieres on August 10th, and the new half-hour young adult animated series Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake arrives on August 31st.

Series & Films Arriving On Max In August 2023:

August 1

A Hologram for the King (2016)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child...

Prior to 1989, actor Leslie Nielsen was still best known for playing heavies and villains. Even when he appeared in comedy classics like "Airplane!" in 1980 or "Police Squad!" in 1982, his comedic power was derived from his ability to stay stonefaced while absurdity explodes around him. 1989, however, saw the release of "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" a film adaptation of the TV show. In that film, Nielsen played the role of Lt. Frank Drebin broadly, doing a lot of mugging and pratfalls. "The Naked Gun" was an enormous hit the year it was released, and Nielsen went full-bore into slapstick roles and spoof movies after that. 

During the 1990s, Nielsen appeared in a litany of gloriously silly flicks like "Spy Hard," "Wrongfully Accused," "Repossessed" (a classic), "Dracula: Dead and Loving It," two of the "Scary Movie" sequels, and many others. Not all of these films were good, but...

One of the funniest inventions of "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" is the notion of Madonna, played wonderfully by Evan Rachel Wood, romantically glomming onto Daniel Radcliffe's Weird Al to try and get him to parody one of her songs, thus raising her level of fame to the stratosphere. This version of Madonna serves as several archetypes that appear throughout the majority of music biopics. She is simultaneously the intense first love that ends up turning sour, the bad influence who introduces Al to the destructive vices of show business, and the parasitic user of a celebrity to further herself. Some could see it as a bit of anti-Madonna hate, but Wood's portrayal of Madonna doesn't resemble the real woman in any way. It's all just a bit of fun.

Something I love about how the relationship is dramatized is how quickly the two become inseparable. Al immediately falls...

When the now disbanded Zaz trio of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker were on their spoof game, they belonged to a very exclusive club that, to this day, includes only Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Monty Python. Their parody run of "Kentucky Fried Movie," "Airplane!," "Top Secret!" and "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" remains unmatched. And while they were likely too talented to miss the mark in their heyday, it's difficult to imagine them drilling the bullseye so emphatically without the deadpan genius of Leslie Nielsen.

When Nielsen was cast as the unflappable Dr. Rumack in "Airplane!," he was best known for his stolid performances in films like "Forbidden Planet," "The Swamp Fox" and "The Poseidon Adventure." He provided instant, deathly serious gravity to every scene he entered. He was no one's idea of a comedic dynamo, which is why he was perfect for the part of Rumack.

When you look at the world of big screen parodies, there's truly nothing like what David Zucker and company were doing back in their heyday. I grew up in the era where Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer were in the business of pumping out absolute dreck year after year, confusing half-baked references as comedy. I'd gotten my first real taste with "Scary Movie 3," which still holds a special place in my heart, but once I'd become acquainted with Zucker's previous work, I knew what I had been missing out on all this time.

The humor in "Airplane!" involves very specific references, but the key to its longevity was taking an absurd series of events, and taking them very seriously. With that comes the comedy emergence of "Forbidden Planet" actor Leslie Nielsen, who had primarily played more dramatic characters prior to this role. It's no wonder his comedy career soared...

The 1982 TV series "Police Squad!," created by the famed Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker (Zaz) comedy team, only lasted six episodes, but it remains one of the best TV shows of all time. In a strange way, its early cancelation was artistically fortuitous. Its small volume allows the show's many fans to savor what was provided. Additionally, the showrunners, fond of repeated jokes and running gags, never had a chance to run their humor into the ground. There's not a lot of "Police Squad!" in terms of raw numbers, but in terms of comedy, it was a feast.

Six years later, Paramount allowed the Zaz team to resurrect their creation on the big screen as a means of introducing the tiny cult series to a larger audiences. David Zucker's "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" repeated a lot of the jokes from the series, and brought back star...

Veteran action star has agreed to lead a revival of the much-loved police spoof franchise starring Leslie Nielsen

Liam Neeson is set to step into the brogues of the late Leslie Nielsen in a reboot of the police spoof classic The Naked Gun.

The original Naked Gun trilogy were slapstick crime-procedural parodies created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker, starring Nielsen as Lieutenant Frank Drebin, a good-natured but gullible detective who originated in the shortlived 1982 TV series Police Squad! The first film was released in 1988 and was a critical hit that made 140m. Two sequels – 1991’s The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear and 1994’s Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult – were also commercial successes.

Actor Liam Neeson is interested in starring in Paramount's new "The Naked Gun" police spoof comedy feature, to be directed by Akiva Schaffer:

The original "The Naked Gun" movie aka "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!", is the 1988 'crime comedy' feature directed by David Zucker starring Leslie Nielsen as bumbling police lieutenant 'Frank Drebin'...

...featuring dead pan slapstick comedy including "Mad" magazine type, visual and verbal, puns and gags.

The film is based on the character portrayed by Nielsen in the TV series "Police Squad!" (1982).

"The Naked Gun" was a critical and commercial success, followed by sequels: "The Naked Gun 2+1⁄2: The Smell of Fear" (1991) and "Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult" (1994).

Click the images to enlarge...

Nobody could possibly top the late comedy legend Leslie Nielsen and his performance in the classic 1988 film "The Naked Gun," but when has a little thing like that ever stopped this industry from trying anyway? With several recent legacy sequels and reboots proving successful at the box office in the post-pandemic landscape, Paramount is moving forward with yet another one of their own. Renowned among viewers of a certain vintage for its slapstick, laugh-a-minute joys that rival the likes of "Airplane!" or "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," the original "The Naked Gun" is now being brought back with with actor Liam Neeson negotiating to star.

This news comes courtesy of Deadline, which reports that "The Lonely Island" veteran Akiva Schaffer is on board to direct the project alongside screenwriters Dan Gregor and Doug Mand ("Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers"), both of whom are taking over for previous draft writers Mark Hentemann and Alec Sulkin.

Stepping into the exceedingly dry shoes of Leslie Nielsen is no small matter, but Liam Neeson is going to give it a shot with a new Naked Gun reboot. Hollywood has been attempting to reboot the franchise for a number of years, with Ed Helms (The Office) once slated to play Detective Frank Drebin, but Deadline has reported that Paramount Pictures is officially moving forward with a new Naked Gunn reboot directed by Akiva Schaffer and that Liam Neeson is in negotiations to star.

Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, who wrote Akiva Schaffer’s Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers movie, have also closed a deal to pen the script for The Naked Gun reboot. The previous draft was written by Mark Hentemann & Alec Sulkin. Schaffer will also executive produce the reboot, with Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins producing through their Fuzzy Door production banner. Plot details about the reboot are...

Exclusive: One of Hollywood’s classic slapstick comedy franchises is looking to make its way back to the big screen. Sources tell Deadline that Paramount Pictures is moving forward with a new Naked Gun reboot, with Liam Neeson is in negotiations to star and Akiva Schaffer set to direct. While no greenlight has been given, sources say its headed in that direction once a deal closes for Neeson.

Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, who just worked with Schaffer on the Emmy-winning Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers pic, also closed a deal to pen the script. Mark Hentemann & Alec Sulkin wrote the previous draft. Schaffer also will exec produce. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are producing via their company Fuzzy Door.

Plot details are being kept under wraps except that Neeson might be playing the son of Detective Frank Drebin instead of stepping into the role made famous by Leslie Nielsen.

Click here to read the full article.

Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch in history and one of the world’s most recognizable — and most portrayed — figures in modern times, died Thursday. She was 96.

After 70 years of rule, Elizabeth died peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where she had spent the summer, the Royal Family announced.

She will be succeeded by her firstborn son, Charles. “The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty the Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” the new king said in a statement.

A statement from His Majesty The King: pic.twitter.com/AnBiyZCher

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022

With her official title — Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other realms and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith — she was,...

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On director/co-writer/co-editor Dean Fleischer-Camp discusses some of his favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (2022)

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (2010)

The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)

San Andreas (2015)

Airplane! (1980) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Ghost (1990)

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)

Beetlejuice (1988) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review

Batman (1989)

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Batman Returns (1992) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Ed Wood (1994)

Mars Attacks (1996)

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Planet of the Apes (2001)

The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

8 ½ (1963) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Westworld (1973) – Ed Neumeier’s trailer commentary

Robocop (1987) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray reviews

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

Alien (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

Aliens (1986) – Glenn Erickson’s...

Cinematic portrayals of Her Majesty span psychological depths and gleeful farce, from The King’s Speech to The Naked Gun

You don’t hold a single position of global celebrity for 70 years without becoming a cinematic figure too. Whether wildly fictionalised or painstakingly rendered in biographical terms, the Queen has racked up a rare screen legacy for a living historical figure. For most of her life she has been treated on film as a literal icon, as close as any actor can possibly come to the impassive crowned symbol of sundry postage stamps. Portraying her as an actual character, with inner life and conflict, would come later.

My first encounter with a dramatised Elizabeth II remains, for me, the most enduring: as the ward of serially incompetent police lieutenant Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun (Netflix). The target of an assassination attempt foiled only by happy, hilarious accident, she’s...

I feel like Netflix is doing the real-life equivalent of Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) from "The Naked Gun" standing in front of a blazing building and telling a group of horrified onlookers, "Nothing to see here! Please disperse!" After losing billions of dollars in stock value, laying off multiple employees, and being hit with a lawsuit by investors over the last few weeks, the streaming service is trying to steer the conversation away from its many business woes and onto its annual Geeked Week.

Launched in 2021, Netflix's Geeked Week is a five-day virtual event that celebrates (per its official description) "Netflix's genre...

The post Netflix Geeked Week Trailer Features New Looks at Sandman, The Gray Man, and More appeared first on /Film.

The challenges and vicissitudes of living with cerebral palsy are made quite clear in Your Friend, Memphis, a sympathetic, up-close documentary that traces a few years in the life of a young man whose teenage optimism about his prospects narrows considerably as time marches on. It’s a poignant but ultimately tough tale that reflects a reality in which youthful hope almost inevitably gives way to the realization that, by one’s twenties, things are never going to get better, that life’s prospects decrease with age and the disappearance of family members and engaged helpers. As upbeat and determined as the subject is in his youth, grim facts at a certain point are impossible to ignore.

“If you all weren’t here filming me, I would be alone,” grins the often enthusiastic and generally personable Memphis Diangelis, who was diagnosed at age one, is 5’3,” shuffles along with a pronounced awkward limp,...

The two top teams in college basketball met tonight as No. 1 Gonzaga faced No. 2 UCLA, but the highlight of the evening was legendary ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale returning to call the game after battling two separate forms of cancer this year, with his latest diagnosis coming just last month.

Before the game, Vitale said being cleared to call the contest was “the best medicine I could ask for,” and it was clear he meant it as he took the mic opposite Dave O’Brien.

“It’s great being here, Dave,” said Vitale, who was visibly emotional as O’Brien briefly introduced him. “I didn’t want to cry,” he continued, his voice cracking.

“I can’t believe I’m sitting here. This is really a big thrill for me. I want to thank all you people, sent me so many great messages. ESPN, Jimmy Pitaro, all my buddies at ESPN. I want to thank certainly,...

As the director of "Airplane!," "The Naked Gun," and many others, David Zucker is well known for creating some truly classic comedic spoofs. The funny filmmaker has now set his sights on one of cinema's most storied genres in a new film noir-inspired project, "Star of Malta." The film is a period comedy that will be directed by Zucker and co-written with his frequent collaborator, Pat Proft. It will be produced under the banner of RainMaker Films.

It's a perfectly timed announcement for the middle of Noirvember (a month I celebrate annually as a huge noir fan), and the genre's storied...

The post Star of Malta is a Noir Spoof Coming From the Creator of The Naked Gun appeared first on /Film.

Exclusive: Former stuntwoman Leslie Hoffman has won her 11-year legal ordeal with the SAG Pension Plan and the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan, receiving a $125,000 settlement and an acknowledgement that she is entitled, at long last, to receive the occupational disability pension that she’s been fighting for all these years.

The Plans, which also are on the hook for her attorney’s fees, made “no admission of liability” in settling the case, however, and have “denied every allegation of wrongdoing” contained in her complaints.

“I’m glad it’s over,” she told Deadline, “and I hope that this settlement makes it easier for all stunt performers – and all SAG-AFTRA members – to obtain the benefits they’re entitled to.”

Hoffman, who’s now running in the union’s upcoming election for a seat on the Los Angeles Local’s board of directors, was once among Hollywood’s elite stuntwomen: She...

Dark Intruder

Blu ray

Kino Lorber

1965 / 1.85:1 / 59 min.

Starring Leslie Nielsen, Peter Mark Richman, Judi Meredith

Cinematography by John F. Warren

Directed by Harvey Hart

Produced in 1965, Universal Pictures intended Dark Intruder for television but when NBC executives screened the film they took a pass—set in the goth-friendly year of 1890, Barré Lyndon’s story, with overtones of Lovecraft and demonic possession, was deemed “too scary” for the living room audience. That same audience would weather an entire season of My Mother the Car so perhaps Hollywood was underestimating America’s ability to deal with adversity. Universal was undeterred—now officially a “feature”, Harvey Hart’s film opened that summer in Los Angeles alongside Torn Curtain and in New York on the bottom half of a bill with I Saw What You Did (Manhattanites were treated to a personal appearance from Joan Crawford).

With the advent of roadshow attractions like Lawrence of Arabia,...

Liam Neeson might soon be stepping down from his perch atop Action Dad Mountain, but what might the next phase of his career look like? Could we be entering the era of Liam Neeson: Comedy Star? In a recent interview, Neeson revealed that Seth MacFarlane, the man behind Family Guy and the Ted films, has […]

The post Seth MacFarlane Wants to Remake ‘The Naked Gun’ with Liam Neeson in the Lead Role appeared first on /Film.

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! remains a comedy classic almost entirely due to the deadpan brilliance of Leslie Nielsen, so it's hard to imagine anyone else following in his footsteps. Hollywood has been attempting to reboot the franchise for a number of years, with Ed Helms (The Office) once slated to play Detective Frank Drebin, but much like a tragic blimp…...

As we head into the first full week of January, let’s take a look back at everything that went up on Netflix over the past seven days.

Across the end of December and the first few days of 2021, a total of 50 new titles debuted on the streaming giant. That number includes a load of original content and in case you missed some real gems, here’s the full list of everything that was new on Netflix this past week.

December 28

A Love So Beautiful: Season 1 (New episodes weekly) *Netflix Original

Cops and Robbers *Netflix Original

Rango (2011)

December 30

Best Leftovers Ever! Season 1 *Netflix Original

Bobby Jasoos (2014)

Equinox: Season 1 *Netflix Original

Gameboys Level-Up Edition: Season 1

The Rope Curse 2 *Netflix Original

Transformers: War for Cybertron: Chapter 2 *Netflix Original

December 31

Alaska is a Drag (2017)

Best of Stand-Up 2020 *Netflix Original

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Part 4 *Netflix Original

Tarung Sarung (2020)

Too Handsome to Handle...

Another year, and another daunting challenge to keep up with the number of streaming options available from the big online players. And to mark January 1st, there’s some new content to enjoy on the likes of Netflix, Disney Plus and HBO Max, among others, as well as several notable changes in licensing agreements that may affect how you can watch your favorite shows.

On Netflix, the biggest fresh release is the third season of Cobra Kai, which has been a hit for the service since making the move from YouTube. Critics are already dishing out praise for the latest block of episodes of The Karate Kid spinoff, which had its premiere date bumped up by a week. Other highlights, meanwhile, include Netflix documentary The Minimalists: Less Is Now, and a lot of licensed movies ranging from Bonnie and Clyde to Goodfellas.

By comparison, Disney+ have regained their rights to The Wolverine,...

So long, 2020, 2021 is here! Now that we’ve entered the New Year, the various major streaming services are starting January with a bang as they all have hefty hauls arriving this weekend. The first day of the month always sees a load of newly licensed titles go up across the platforms and that’s especially the case in January, as Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Hulu and Prime Video have tons of great new movies and TV shows debuting this weekend.

For starters, there’s something for all tastes becoming available on Netflix on January 1st. We’ve got Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, animated comedy Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, both Sex in the City movies, Superbad, Bruce Lee classic Enter the Dragon, horror flick Gothika and not one but two films directed by Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas and The Departed, featuring DiCaprio again.

The first month of a new year is a good time to make a new impression. And that’s just what Netflix seems set on doing with its list of new releases for January 2021.

The streamer is coming out strong with a third season of Cobra Kai, formerly of YouTube Premium. The next installment in Daniel Larusso and Johnny Lawrence’s story is set to arrive…eventually. Netflix has not unveiled a released date yet but it will be during this month. While Cobra Kai is the highlight among Netflix’ original series, it’s not the only one by a long shot. Last year’s fun Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous returns for a second season on Jan. 22 and it will be accompanied by Fate: The Winx Saga. Also, if you’re a fan of things that will one day be .gif’ed to death, the Nicolas Cage-hosted History of Swear Words drops on Jan.

A new year is just around the corner and as folks start getting ready to say goodbye to the nightmare that was 2020, it’s time to look ahead at all the great movies and TV shows coming down the pipeline to keep us entertained over the next 12 months.

Hopes are high that things will begin to return to normal again and productions will be able to run smoother, meaning less delays and setbacks. And with 2021 absolutely packed with new releases right now, there’s more than enough to get excited about no matter where your interests lie.

But aside from just what’s coming to theaters and airing on television, we’ve also got all the streaming services still offering up a bevy of fresh content every month and January is no different. Indeed, the first few weeks of the new year will see Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Hulu...

January is usually referred to as the theatrical industry’s dumping ground, where projects destined to fail are shoved out into the world to die a slow and painful death at the box office. Obviously, next month could see almost every new release face a similar fate as business is still showing no signs of recovery, but Netflix are looking to buck the trend and rehabilitate January’s reputation as a safe haven for fresh content, and the streaming service have some major original movies and TV shows on the horizon.

The most exciting without a doubt is History of Swear Words, which sees Nicolas Cage hosting a six-episode series that delves into the origins and multiple uses of profanity. Anyone who doesn’t have their curiosity immediately piqued by the idea of Hollywood’s most manic and memeable actor fronting a show where the episodes are titled “F*ck...

With 2020 now coming to an end – thank goodness – and a new year finally in sight, it’s time to begin looking forward to what all the various streaming platforms will be bringing us to kick off 2021 with. And after Disney Plus was first out of the gate to announce their lineup yesterday, Netflix has now followed, revealing a huge range of content set to drop in January that consists of hit movies, beloved TV shows and a whole lot more.

Of course, the 1st of the month is the busiest day and brings mostly licensed titles with it, as is often the case. But the following days look to keep up the momentum, with a ton of exciting films and television series on the way, all combining for what appears to be a fantastic month of new content.

See below for the full list:

Released January Tba

50M2 *Netflix Original...

"Is that a candy cane or are you just happy to see me?" Ohhh boy. IndieCan Ent from up in Canada has also released an official trailer for a comedy titled Cup of Cheer, from Toronto filmmaker Jake Horowitz. "Yuk it up this November with a riotously funny new satire of every cheesy Christmas Movie you've ever seen!" A wacky new comedy in the tradition of classics spoofs Flying High!, Airplane, and The Naked Gun, Cup of Cheer arrives on VOD this November. A big city journalist goes to a small town for the holidays and finds herself in an unlikely romance with the owner of a struggling hot cocoa shop. Cup of Cheer stars Storm Steenson as Mary, plus Steve Kasan, Shawn Vincent, Adam Jenner, Liam Marshall, & Alexander Oliver. Sad to say this looks awful. I guess they just don't make spoof comedies like they used to anymore. Here's...

Here’s the kind of what-were-they-thinking? moment that can throw you right out of a movie. Tom Carter (Liam Neeson), a bank robber extraordinaire, is about to reveal to Annie (Kate Walsh), the woman he’s in love with, that he’s not the man she thought he was. He’s got no choice but to come clean, because she arrives at his hotel at a rather inopportune moment — just as he and the corrupt FBI agent he’s in the middle of pummeling spill onto the sidewalk from the floor above. She sees him sock the agent with that I’m-going-to-put-my-fist-through-your-head ferocity that no one can summon quite like Liam Neeson. Then he shuttles her into his Jeep, and they escape with bad guys shooting at them, shattering the car’s rear window. Tom’s got a bloody bruise on his temple, and as he leads a high-speed chase through the streets of Boston,...

Next month, Netflix is rolling out a ton of great new Halloween-themed content, including a bunch of must-see originals like The Haunting of Bly Manor, A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting and Rebecca. Unfortunately, though, it’s also losing a lot of horror films in October that would’ve made for perfect seasonal viewing.

On October 2nd, both Cult of Chucky – the last Chucky flick before the reboot – and Truth or Dare – that’s the 2017 TV movie, not the 2018 Blumhouse production – are being removed from Netflix’s library. The bulk of the horror titles leaving in October are, ironically, being removed on October 31st, though. So, if you’re hoping to do an Underworld marathon this Halloween or rewatch classics like Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow or The Silence of the Lambs, make sure you don’t leave it until the day itself.

See below for the full list of...

What surely would have made a good reality-tv series — three juvenile delinquents from the big city, plus an awkward kid with no friends, are dropped in the Scottish Highlands and left to find their way back to civilization — works even better as a dark comedy goof when a couple of lunatics start shooting at them from afar. The stakes are high, but so are half the characters in Ninian Doff’s irreverent survivalist satire, which makes this deranged camping trip — with its phallocentric hip-hop jams, improvised pyrotechnics and hallucinogenic rabbit droppings — all the more unforgettable.

As debut features go, “Get Duked!” — or “Boyz in the Wood,” as this future cult classic was called when it won an audience award at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival — serves as. Music-video director Doff’s as wicked as Ben Wheatley and as wacky as Guy Ritchie in the style department, bringing urban attitude to this totally unexpected setting.

It was only a matter of time before the most powerful brothers in Hollywood got into business together. In the late ’90s, “Scary Movie,” a comedy that satirized slasher-killer movies, brought three of the Wayans brothers — Marlon, Shawn and Keenen Ivory — to the doorstep of Dimension Films, the boutique horror studio run by Bob and Harvey Weinstein.

According to Marlon, making “Scary Movie” with the Weinsteins for a summer 2000 release was indeed a frightening experience. And not just because he was abruptly fired from making the third movie in the franchise, “Scary Movie 3,” on a holiday.

“[The Weinstein’s are] not the best or the kindest people to be in business with,” Marlon Wayans tells Variety. “They’re very much an evil regime, I guess. They do what they want to do how they do it — and it can be rude and quite disrespectful. We couldn’t come to terms on the deal.