May 3, 2013 – NEW YORK – Today, Jay Penske—Founder, Chairman and CEO of Penske Media Corporation (PMC), which owns the Movieline brand—announced website Movieline.com’s reinvention: a bold launch into the online video space. Penske said, “We’re seeing the growing demand for online video and the appetite advertisers have to reach these focused audiences. Over the last year, we’ve had incredible success with our multi-platform video entertainment news network Entertainment News Television (ENTV) and are eager to expand our reach in the field.” more »
Fifteen years after Denise Richards' and Neve Campbell's swimming-pool make-out session made Wild Things a cult hit, director John McNaughton says he and the film's screewriter Stephen Peters are working on a continuation of the story that would involve those characters children and take its inspiration from the Amanda Knox case. more »
Jonathan Winters was not known for his acting. The brilliant improvisational comic, who died of natural causes at the age of 87 on Thursday, did not do his best work when he was tied to a script. As the New York Times' obituary of Winters noted, “'Jonny works best out of instant panic,' one of his television writers in the 1960s said. He thrived when he could ad-lib, fielding unexpected questions or pursuing spontaneous flights of fancy. In other words, he made a brilliant guest, firing comedy in short bursts, but a problematic host or actor." more »
Ryan Gosling has inspired a coloring book, so why not some poetry? If Baby Goose's portrayal of a motorcycle-riding, bank-robbing daddy in Derek Cianfrance's impressive The Place Beyond The Pinesintrigues you, then keep reading. Movieline has a cool music-oriented prize pack to give away to the contestant who impresses me the most with a haiku about the actor's role and/or performance. more »
Actress and original Mouseketeer Annette Funicello has gone to great big surf party in the sky, and I'd like to remember her with the opening sequence to one of her most memorable movies: Beach Blanket Bingo.more »
I've never been much of an obituary-writing guy, but Roger Ebertdeserves to be celebrated. So, rather than add to the hundreds of thousands of words that are about to be spent reexamining his remarkable life and career following his death today, I'm going to make one observation about his contribution to movie culture and then leave you with a clip that, I hope, will make you smile when you think of him.
My introduction to Ebert, and his equally mouthy partner in movie criticism, Gene Siskel, came via their thoroughly enjoyable syndicated television show At The Movies, which began as a PBS series in 1975, Sneak Previews, and eventually became Siskel and Ebert and The Movies from 1986 until 1999. (The year Siskel died.) And though I'm quite aware that a) these guys were operating on television and b) blog culture was a long way off, there's a real argument to be made that Siskel and Ebert are the real forefathers of the movie blog culture that exists today.
Siskel and Ebert: Proto-Movie Bloggers
Each week, they candidly curated a subjective list of movies that were opening that week. They told the television audience which films were worth seeing and why, which ones should be ignored, and which movies were worth actively seeking out at the video store if they weren't shown at the local cinema. And, by the way, their thumbs up or down system of rating movies was the proto-Rotten Tomatoes. As Roadside Attractions tweeted on Thursday afternoon: "Siskel & Ebert almost single-thumbedly made Hoop Dreams a thing. If they'd never done anything else, they'd still be indie film legends."
Siskel and Ebert lavished attention on obscure movies; they taught their audience how to look at crowd pleasers with a critical eye, and they fought and bickered with each other in a way that made great television. Their TV show had all of the elements of a great blog: curation, information, perspective and entertainment. And they did it better than a lot of bloggers are doing it now.
Rest in peace, Roger Ebert. You, too, Gene Siskel. This is how I'll remember you: bickering brilliantly like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
If you're a Tyler Perry fan and your home could use a few conversation-starting posters on the wall, then you've come to the right place. Movieline is giving away one fun — and funny — prize pack to commemorate the March 29 opening of Tyler Perry's Temptation, written and directed by Tyler Perry and featuring Kim Kardashian in the Madea role. (I kid!) more »
It's the first day of spring and a perfect time to celebrate young love of the parasitic alien variety. And how do we do that? By giving away a prize pack for Open Road's adaptation of Twilight creator Stephenie Meyer's novel, The Host, to one budding poet out there who can capture the spirit of the movie in an original haiku. more »
There's a new Pope in town, and he has chosen a name I rather like. Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina is the first Pope Francis in the history of the papacy. He's also the inspiration for a trending Twitter hashtag: #ReplaceMovieTitlesWithPope Tweets. more »
Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man with swag to give away: Specifically, three limited-edition The Last Exorcism Part II posters — two red and one olive green — designed by artist Rich Knepprath. No need to sell your soul. All you need to do is submit an original haiku (using the 5-7-5 format) inspired by The Last Exorcism franchise, the subject of possession or...Satan.
Before you attempt this, you must be a U.S. resident and at least 18 years of age. If you fulfill those stringent qualifications, leave your efforts in the comments section below and include your poster color preference so that, if you win, your prize doesn't clash with your decor. Deadline is Noon Pacific Time on Friday, March 1, the date that The Last Exorcism Part II hits theaters.
Now, fix yourself a can of pea soup, invite all the flies in the neighborhood into your home and break out your creepiest yoga move for inspiration. (You can also watch the official trailer and check out the posters below.) I want to be thrilled and chilled by your Lovecraftian genius.
If Beyoncé plans to take part in the Oscar festivities this weekend, then her people should reach out to the producers of War Witch. As I wrote yesterday, 16-year-old Rachel Mwanza, who gives a remarkable first-time acting performance in the movie has been granted a visa to attend the Oscars. And her big dream is to meet Sasha Fierce during her trip to the United States.
Calling all Steven Soderbergh fans and movie-loving hypochondriacs. Time to cue up Pink's "Just Like A Pill" on Spotify and get your haiku mojo working. Movieline will give away a Side Effects poster signed by cast members Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Vinessa Shaw and Dr. Sasha Bardey to the armchair bard who, in our opinion, writes the most addictive haiku inspired by his or her favorite pharmaceutical or the movie itself. more »
Call it strangely eerie or a fitting send off, on the same day that former New York mayor Ed Koch died, a new documentary about him and titled simply, Koch will open in the city he lead and will be buried in. Koch, who served as NYC mayor from 1978 - 1989 over three terms, died at 2am Eastern Time from congestive heart failure, according to the New York Times. more »
Jessica Chastain is riding high with her critically acclaimed Oscar-nominated performance in Zero Dark Thirty, but her next gig may be a bit of an about-face from her role at the center of covert operations to snuff out Bin Laden. more »
Snoop Dogg unveiled a new name and a new film at last year's Toronto International Film Festival and now plans are firming up for its theatrical roll out. The documentary, Reincarnated, which follows the hip hop star's evolution to a reggae singer, will bow in select cities March 15th. more »
