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Netflix is one of the best places to find the best movies and TV shows you can watch on any streaming service. Every month, it adds hundreds of new titles to its content library, but with that, there are also some titles that have got to go. So, today, we are here to tell you about the best film you should watch before it leaves Netflix in November 2024.

A Man Called Otto (November 5) Credit – Sony Pictures

A Man Called Otto is a comedy-drama film directed by Marc Foster from a screenplay by David Magee. Based on the 2012 novel A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman and its 2015 Swedish adaptation of the same name by Hannes Holm, the 2022 film follows a lonely widower who sees no purpose in life and decides to take a drastic step but when his...

Stephen J. Rivele, who shared an Oscar nomination for the screenplay for Oliver Stone’s Nixon and worked on such other biopics as Michael Mann’s Ali, Agnieszka Holland’s Copying Beethoven and Don Cheadle’s Miles Ahead, has died. He was 75.

Rivele had heart issues and died May 17 at his home in Pasadena, California, his son Eli Bocek-Rivele told The Hollywood Reporter.

Rivele wrote on Bradley Cooper’s remake of A Star Is Born and did an early draft for another 2018 release, Bohemian Rhapsody, starring Rami Malek as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.

He also handled uncredited rewrites on the baseball movie Moneyball (2011) and All Eyez on Me (2017), about Tupac Shakur.

Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson enjoyed a 30-year screenwriting partnership. They worked together on Nixon (1995), starring Anthony Hopkins; Ali (2001), starring Will Smith; Copying Beethoven (2006), starring Ed Harris; Miles Ahead (2015), the Miles Davis biopic that Cheadle directed and starred in; Pawn Sacrifice...

Stephen J. Rivele, the screenwriter whose 1995 collaboration on Nixon with Oliver Stone and longtime writing partner Christopher Wilkinson earned the trio an Oscar nomination, died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Pasadena, California, on May 17. He was 75.

His death was announced by son Eli Rivele and Wilkinson.

A published author, playwright and poet, Rivele shared a 30-year career with Wilkinson. In addition to Nixon, their credits include Ali, the 2001 Muhammad Ali biopic starring Will Smith and co-written by director Michael Mann and Eric Roth; Copying Beethoven, the 2006 drama starring Ed Harris as the great composer; and Birth of the Dragon, the 2016 martial arts film with Philip Wan-lung Ng as Bruce Lee.

Rivele and Wilkinson had story credits for such other notable biopics as Miles Ahead (2015), directed by and starring Don Cheadle as jazz giant Miles Davis; and Pawn Sacrifice (2014), with Tobey Maguire as chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer.

Born May 6, 1949, in Philadelphia,...

In Michael Mann's 2001 biopic "Ali," Jamie Foxx played Drew Bundini Brown, Muhammad Ali's assistant trainer. Brown was, as the film depicted him, a little crass, openly lascivious (he confesses his particular fetishes in public), and not always up to living the way Ali would have liked him to. In one notable scene, Ali (Will Smith) bursts into Brown's dingy apartment and finds him hungover. Ali screams at the man to respect himself.

Mann is a filmmaker fond of shaky, handheld camera moves, was an early proponent of digital photography, and seeks a certain kind of steely, assertive realism in his work. This was an exhilarating approach for a high-profile Hollywood biography like "Ali," a film that was nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards.

It's worth noting that Mann and his three credited "Ali" co-screenwriters, Eric Roth ("Forrest Gump") and writing duo Stephen J. Rivele...

The legendary RZA joins hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss a few of his favorite movies.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

The Man With The Iron Fists (2012)

Cut Throat City (2020)

Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)

Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)

Cooley High (1975) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary

Car Wash (1976) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary

Grease (1978)

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) – Dennis Cozzalio’s best of 2020

The Devil You Know (2022)

The Last American Virgin (1982)

The Beastmaster (1982)

Porky’s (1981)

Sixteen Candles (1984)

The Breakfast Club (1985)

Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982) – Karyn Kusama’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Carmen Jones (1954)

An American In Paris (1951)

Singin’ In The Rain (1952) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

The Wizard Of Oz (1939) – John Badham’s trailer commentary

Is That Black Enough for You?!?...

For the season 5 season finale, Writer/Director/Producer Adam McKay returns to the podcast to discuss movies from his favorite year of cinema… 1987.

The Movies That Made Me will return with Season 6 in January. Happy Holidays! Thank you for listening!

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Tin Men (1987)

Billy Jack (1971)

The Menu (2022)

Boyz N The Hood (1991) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

Menace II Society (1991)

Straight Out Of Brooklyn (1991)

Do The Right Thing (1989) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

School Daze (1988)

The Swarm (1978) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

The Squeeze (1987)

Squeeze Play (1979) – Lloyd Kaufman’s trailer commentary

Diner (1982)

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

The Evil Dead (1983) – Fede Alvarez’s trailer commentary

Evil Dead II (1987) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary, Alex Kirschenbaum’s review

Broadcast News (1987)

Raising Arizona (1987)

The Princess Bride (1987) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

This Is Spinal Tap (1984) – John Landis’s...

Iconic action star Scott Adkins returns to discuss a few of his favorite comedies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Day Shift (2022)

John Wick (2014)

Accident Man (2018)

Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday (2022)

Deadpool (2016)

Rrr (2022)

The Evil Dead (1981) – Fede Alvarez’s trailer commentary

Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn (1987) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary, Alex Kirschenbaum’s review

Army Of Darkness (1992)

Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary

Snatched (2017)

Snatch (2000)

Citizen Kane (1941) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

The Pink Panther (1963) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary

A Shot In The Dark (1964) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary

The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)

The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)

Dumb And Dumber (1994)

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

Bad Trip (2020)

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)

Airplane! (1980) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary

Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) – Eli Roth’s trailer commentary

Zero Hour!

Actor / Filmmaker Alex Winter joins Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss movies featuring a cog in the machine – the individual struggling to exist within the system.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s Bill and Ted character power rankings

Bill And Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)

Bill And Ted Face The Music (2020)

The Game (1997)

Showbiz Kids (2020)

The Panama Papers (2018)

Zappa (2020)

200 Motels (1971)

Modern Times (1936)

Metropolis (1927) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Avatar (2009)

Things To Come (1936) – Jesus Trevino’s trailer commentary

M (1931)

M (1951)

The Last Laugh (1924) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Brazil (1985)

Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness

City Lights (1931)

Goin’ Down The Road (1970)

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

The Young And The Damned (1950)

Shock Corridor (1963) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary

The Naked Kiss (1964)

Stroszek (1977)

Even Dwarves Started Small (1970)

Ikiru (1952) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer...

Director/Tfh Guru Allan Arkush discusses his favorite year in film, 1975, with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Rules of the Game (1939)

Le Boucher (1970)

Last Year At Marienbad (1961)

Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982)

Topaz (1969)

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

Hollywood Boulevard (1976) – Jon Davison’s trailer commentary

The Innocents (1961) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary

The Earrings of Madame De… (1953)

Rope (1948) – Darren Bousman’s trailer commentary

Make Way For Tomorrow (1937)

The Awful Truth (1937) – Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Duck Soup (1933) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

Going My Way (1944)

Nashville (1975) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary, Dan Perri’s trailer commentary

M*A*S*H (1970)

Shampoo (1975) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Bonnie And Clyde (1967) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

The Nada Gang (1975)

Get Crazy (1983) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Night Moves (1975) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Dog Day Afternoon (1975) – Katt Shea’s trailer...

Showrunner Eric Kripke joins podcast hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss a few of his favorite films.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

Piranha (1978) – Jon Davison’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review

Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

My Octopus Teacher (2020)

The Evil Dead (1983) – Fede Alvarez’s trailer commentary

Evil Dead II (1987) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary, Alex Kirschenbaum’s review

Meet The Feebles (1989) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary

Dead Alive a.k.a. Braindead (1992) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary

Bad Taste (1987) – Ti West’s trailer commentary

Infested (2002)

Super (2010)

Forrest Gump (1994)

The Hidden (1987) – Mike Mendez’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review

Uhf (1989)

Fat Guy Goes Nutzoid (1986)

The Dead Pit (1989)

Batgirl (2022) – Unreleased film

The Fantastic Four (1994) – Unreleased film...

Exclusive: Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park Entertainment continues its expansion into television with a live-action adaptation of the acclaimed Japanese manga series Bokurano. The series was created by author Mohiro Kitoh and published by Shogakukan Inc.

Hyde Park has tapped veteran writer Charlie Craig (Pretty Little Liars and Freeform’s The Perfectionists) to be showrunner and executive producer. Amritraj will be executive producer, along with Rob Golenberg. Addison Mehr and Priya Amritraj will co-executive produce for Hyde Park.

Bokurano is a coming-of-age series that follows a group of detention-worthy teenagers from around the world tasked with saving the Earth. The 11-volume manga series has gained cult classic status over the last decade.

Beyond being exec producer and showrunner of Pretty Little Liars and The Perfectionists, Craig’s credits include serving as co-exec producer of CW’s The 100, and he was exec producer on the long-running Syfy series Eureka.

Hyde...

Ang Lee's new sci-fi film has a massive cadre of screenwriters attached to it including Billy Ray, Jonathan Hensleigh, Andrew Niccol (Gattaca), Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson, and David Benioff (Game of Thrones). It is from an original concept created by Darren Lemke.

The thriller stars Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong, Linda Emond, Ralph Brown, and Theodora Miranne.

Synopsis:

Henry Brogen (Will Smith) is an aging assassin attempting to exit his career who finds himself going against a younger clone of himself who can predict his every move.

Gemini Man hits theaters October 11, 2019.

Werner Herzog is coming to television as the director and executive producer of “Fordlandia,” a new series set in the 1920s and based on Henry Ford’s attempt to built a Utopian society in the heart of the Amazon. The series is being developed by Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park Entertainment Group, which acquired the rights to Greg Grandin’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. Deadline first reported the news.

“Fordlandia” is being written by Christopher Wilkinson, best known as the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind “Nixon.” Wilkinson’s other credits include “Pawn Sacrifice,” “Ali,” and “Miles Ahead.” Rights to the novel were purchased with plans of developing the story into a television series. Wilkinson will serve as an executive producer along with Herzog.

The book is based on the true story of Henry Ford, one of the richest men in the world during the 1920s. Ford envisioned bringing the...

Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park Entertainment Group has acquired the rights to Greg Grandin’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Fordlandia to develop as a potential television series, with acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog attached to direct. Oscar-nominated Christopher Wilkinson is writing the series adaptation and will executive produce.

Fordlandia tells the extraordinary true story of the richest man in the world in the 1920s, Henry Ford, and his attempt to recreate small-town America deep in the heart of the Amazon. Amritraj and Herzog are also serving as executive producers, with Addison Mehr and Priya Amritraj co-producing the project. Grandin’s book was published by Macmillan in 2009.

“Fordlandia is an incredible true story and we are thrilled to be working with Werner, one of the world’s most iconic filmmakers, and Chris, a truly exceptional writer,” Amritraj said. “The story of a tycoon with absolute power imposing his vision...

Stars: Billy Magnussen, Philip Ng, Xia Yu, Qu Jingjing, Jin Xing, Simon Yin, Van Ness Wu, Ron Yuan, Terry Chen | Written by Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson | Directed by George Nolfi

Directed by George Nolfi (The Adjustment Bureau), this account of a life-changing real-life fight between kung fu superstar-in-waiting Bruce Lee and martial arts grandmaster Wong Jack Man is less a of biopic and more of a fictionalisation based on a true story. Taken on those terms, it’s a lot of fun, though it’s likely to frustrate Bruce Lee aficionados looking for a more faithful approach.

The story begins in San Francisco in 1964, where a not-yet-famous Bruce Lee (Philip Ng) is teaching martial arts and focusing on becoming a superstar. When Shaolin monk Wong Jack Man (Xia Yu) arrives in San Francisco, Lee is rattled by his presence and challenges him to a duel, believing that the martial...

Stars: Billy Magnussen, Philip Ng, Xia Yu, Qu Jingjing, Jin Xing, Simon Yin, Van Ness Wu, Ron Yuan, Terry Chen | Written by Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson | Directed by George Nolfi

Directed by George Nolfi (The Adjustment Bureau), this account of a life-changing real-life fight between kung fu superstar-in-waiting Bruce Lee and martial arts grandmaster Wong Jack Man is less a of biopic and more of a fictionalisation based on a true story. Taken on those terms, it’s a lot of fun, though it’s likely to frustrate Bruce Lee aficionados looking for a more faithful approach.

The story begins in San Francisco in 1964, where a not-yet-famous Bruce Lee (Philip Ng) is teaching martial arts and focusing on becoming a superstar. When Shaolin monk Wong Jack Man (Xia Yu) arrives in San Francisco, Lee is rattled by his presence and challenges him to a duel, believing that the martial...

Author: Euan Franklin

Biopics never have a firm grasp on the truth, and any reasonably intelligent moviegoer understands this. Often, it’s obvious (merely by watching) what’s fact and what’s fantasy and it doesn’t hinder our enjoyment. In George Nolfi’s Birth of the Dragon, facts are kicked into the dirt of gangster-ridden Chinatown.

Set nine years before the release of Enter the Dragon, a young Bruce Lee (Philip Ng) is a martial-arts teacher (known as a sifu) in San Francisco. He is performative and egotistical, eager to introduce kung-fu to the Western world. But when Wong Jack Man (Xiu Yu) arrives in San Francisco, as penance for a sin committed in China, he threatens Lee’s aspirations – believing kung-fu shouldn’t be taught to Westerners. This builds to the famous (real) fight between the two of them – the results from which remain ambiguous.

The fantasies of...

Simon Brew Jan 19, 2018

Birth Of The Dragon looks set to tell the story of a young Bruce Lee. Here's the trailer...

We’ve already had one big screen biopic of the late Bruce Lee, back when Jason Scott Lee played him in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Now, though, comes another attempt to tell Lee’s story, in a film by the name of Birth Of The Dragon.

It’s directed by The Adjustment Bureau’s George Nolfi, working off a script from Stephen J Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson. Lee will be played by Philip Ng, and he’s joined in the cast by Xia Yu and Billy Magnussen.

A trailer has just been released for the film too, that looks like this…

And we’ve got a synopsis as well…

In the world of martial arts, there is one man above all: Bruce Lee. San Francisco, 1965. Young, hungry and...

The first trailer has been released for the new Bruce Lee biopic, Birth of the Dragon. I've been a Bruce Lee fanatic since I was a kid and the only biopic we've really had was the 1993 movie Dragon. Now we have this film and it looks pretty good. The trailer didn't blow me away, but I'll watch it.

The film centers around the story behind the legendary 1960s fight between Shaolin Master Wong Jack Man and a young Bruce Lee. I don't know if you're familiar with this story or not but it's pretty crazy and there's a lot of controversy surrounding it. Here's the synopsis:

Set against the backdrop of 1960s San Francisco, Birth Of The Dragon is a modern take on the classic movies that Bruce Lee was known for. It takes its inspiration from the epic and still controversial showdown between an up-and-coming Bruce Lee and kung...

Jinga to rep international and ICM Partners to handle North America.

UK sales outfit Jinga Films has boarded Brandon Christensen’s debut supernatural horror Still/Born for international sales with ICM Partners representing North America.

Following its Us premiere at Overlook Film Festival the film won the event’s Scariest Film Award.

Produced and co-written by Colin Minihan (Grave Encounters 1 & 2) and starring Christie Burke (Twilight: Breaking Dawn), Jesse Moss (Tucker And Dale Vs Evil), Rebecca Olson (Kindergarten Cop 2) and Michael Ironside (Starship Troopers), the film follows a young mother who after losing one of her twins during childbirth, spirals into madness thinking that her other child is in danger from an evil entity.

“Like Rosemary’s Baby before it, Still/Born explores the fine line between psychological and supernatural horror,” said Jinga’s Julian Richards.

“It’s a genuinely terrifying woman in peril story with the potential to appeal to a wide theatrical audience as well...

Promo trailer is now online (via Deadline) for Birth of the Dragon starring Billy Magnussen, Xia Yu, Philip Ng, Jinging Qu, and Xing Jing.

Set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s Chinatown, this cross-cultural film chronicles Bruce Lee’s emergence as a martial-arts superstar after his legendary secret showdown with fellow martial artist Wong Jack Man.

It's amazing to think of what Bruce Lee accomplished — and when. Years before martial arts action became a staple of Hollywood and global cinema, and years before Asian-Americans became a strong demographic presence in California, Bruce Lee brought the majesty and discipline of centuries-old combat to America, and added a little showmanship of his own. It wasn't easy.

In 1960s Oakland, a hotbed of hippie counterculture and radical politics, young Bruce Lee (Philip Wan-Lung Ng) does some radical cultural work of his own, teaching a martial arts style he himself developed. The Bay...

Twenty years ago today, the world lost one of its strongest voices, Tupac Shakur. To commemorate the anniversary of his death, after an initial teaser, a second red band teaser has been unveiled for his biopic All Eyez On Me. Helmed by Benny Boom (an incredible director name, if I may say so), Eyez is a chronicling of the life and music of one of the most seminal rappers ever to touch the mic.

Newcomer Demetrius Shipp stars as Tupac (and looks an uncanny amount like the late rapper), who grows up seeing a life of police brutality and violence in his neighborhood, and decides to fight back through his music — as well as telling his story by “painting a picture with a pen.” Check out the new teaser below, along with the first poster.

All Eyez On Me, originally titled Tupac, is an upcoming American biographical drama film directed by Benny Boom,...

In naming our favorite boxing movies last fall, we said, “Michael Mann‘s epic portrait of Muhammad Ali marvelously depicts the champ and the cultural upheaval surrounding his storied and controversial career,” adding that, “Ali is a thoughtful and aesthetically flawless picture, which succeeds in conveying the harrowing emotions the People’s Champion felt inside and outside of the ring.” Following the passing of the legendary boxer last weekend, Sony has announced the film will be returning to a few hundred theaters this weekend. While we lament some aspects of digital distribution, consider this a check in the positive column.

“When we made Ali, Will Smith dedicated a year to become Ali. No director ever had a better, more stand-up partner,” Mann tells Variety in a recent guest column. “In the early days, in one of my meetings with Ali, he said one of the most important concerns to him...

A fantasy about Miles Davis’s life and music; loose, free-flowing, a kind of cinematic jazz. An astonishingly assured directorial debut from Don Cheadle. I’m “biast” (pro): love Don Cheadle

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

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

Don’t call it jazz… it’s social music.” Miles Davis really did say that about his work. But he didn’t say it to Rolling Stone journalist Dave Braden, because Dave Braden doesn’t exist. Though one may readily imagine that the real Miles Davis would have been just as testy with journalists as the Miles we see onscreen in Miles Ahead is with the fictional Braden. It’s a testiness — and an accompanying desire to craft his own story to his own liking, to tell his story his own way — that informs everything about this ingeniously seductive film.

We could say,...

Last year at the New York Film Festival, I saw the fest wrap up with the directorial debut of actor Don Cheadle. It was the biopic Miles Ahead, a passion project of Cheadle’s that he’d been trying to get off the ground for years. It played at the Closing Night selection and had some awards buzz surrounding it, but no 2015 release date. Well, that turned out to mean something, as it never came out, opting instead for this early 2016 slot. Part of that might be due to the middling reviews at the time, but mostly it was just a function of studios having other priorities and this being an odd little title. It’s hitting theaters this week though, so it’s time to discuss it a bit more now. Once again, here’s a quick primer on the film itself, which of course is a look at...

There's a reason that, in an age when everyone from Hank Williams to the Notorious B.I.G. has been blessed with a biopic, a musical giant like Miles Davis had long eluded big-screen treatment. For starters, the idea of trying to do justice to the jazz legend's multifaceted career with a cradle-to-grave template seemed ridiculous; when asked what he'd accomplished, the jazz trumpeter and composer replied with, "Well, I guess I changed music five or six times," and it wasn't an idle boast. There was his tempestuous life story, the kind...

Taking on the starring role for a biopic of any kind comes packing its own share of expectations, particularly when it comes to stepping into the shoes of an icon from beyond our time. But for Avengers star Don Cheadle, he was deemed the perfect fit to assume the role of jazz legend Miles Davis long before the biopic ever came to form, after gaining the blessing of Davis’ nephew Vince Wilburn almost a decade ago.

Fast forward to today and we’ve arrived at the first trailer for Miles Ahead. Written and directed by Cheadle, the musical biopic represents something of a passion project for the actor, who recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about bringing Davis’ story to the moviegoing masses.

“Just the fact that he wasn’t playing. The fact that he hadn’t played for five years, up to that point, and in a way, was either...

It's pretty clear where I got the first name of my first son, Toshiro, and he's well aware of the legacy of the artist who inspired that name. While he hasn't seen Seven Samurai yet, he knows who Toshiro Mifune was and that he is an actor I hold in very high regard. What's less immediately clear is that my younger son is also named after one of my artistic heroes, because it's his middle name. He is Allen Miles McWeeny, and sure enough, he is named after one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, a towering figure whose music has meant more to me than I can ever fully express. Don Cheadle must share some of that same reverence for Miles Davis, and it's certainly clear from his new film as a star and as a writer/director that he embraces the full complexity of Miles, flaws and all.

A new Bruce Lee movie started shooting yesterday, and it was announced that Philip Ng (New Police Story, Bodyguards and Assassins) will be taking on the role of the legendary martial artist.

The story is set in the mid-1960s and focuses on the fight between Lee and Wong Jack Man. The story is told from the point of view of one of Lee’s students, Steve McKee, who is being played by Billy Magnussen. After the fight, Lee reinvented himself and his fighting style of kung fu.

Shaolin Master Wong Jack Man will be played by Yu Xia, and the rest of the cast includes Jinging Qu as McKee’s love interest and Jin Xing as a crime boss.

The film is being directed by George Nolfi from a script written by Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen J. Rivele, who have worked on films such as Ali and Nixon. The...

Hong Kong-born Philip Ng will be playing the young Bruce Lee in Birth Of The Dragon, according to The Wrap.

The film will be directed by George Nolfi (The Adjustment Bureau) from a screenplay written by Academy Award nominees Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen J. Rivele, which follows the the story behind the legendary 1960s fight between Shaolin Master Wong Jack Man and the young Bruce Lee.

Nolfia said:

“Birth Of The Dragon is a rare opportunity to make an action film with rich characters based on real events and real people. It’s a story about people from the East and West transcending their differences to work together, which is obviously a very timely story.”

The fight scene in question I believe was in the film "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story," which you can see the film clip below.

The site reports that the film will recreate the mid-1960’s...

Billy Magnussen (Into The Woods), Philip Ng (Once Upon A Time in Shanghai) and Yu Xia (The Painted Veil) are toplining Groundswell Productions’ Birth Of The Dragon, the pic about the legendary 1965 fight between Shaolin Master Wong Jack Man and a young Bruce Lee. Production gets underway tomorrow in Vancouver with George Nolfi (The Adjustment Bureau) directing a script by Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen J. Rivele. This is the origin story pic originally picked up by Mich…...

Philip Ng will portray Bruce Lee in the George Nolfi-directed martial arts action movie "Birth of the Dragon" for Groundswell Productions and Kylin Films. Filming begins Tuesday in Vancouver.

The film recreates the mid-1960’s fight between Lee and Wong Jack Man from the point of view of McKee. After the fight, Lee reinvented himself and his style of kung fu which led to his worldwide fame.

Yu Xia will play Shaolin Master Wong Jack Man and Billy Magnussen will portray martial arts student Steve McKee. Jinging Qu plays the love interest of McKee’s character and Jin Xing will portray a crime boss.

"Ali" and "Nixon" scribes Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen J. Rivele penned the script, while action sequences will be designed by martial arts choreographer Corey Yuen.

Source: Variety...

Principal photography is set to kick off on November 17 in Vancouver, British Columbia, on the Bruce Lee story.

George Nolfi will direct the martial arts action tale that tells the story behind the legendary 1960s fight between Shaolin Master Wong Jack Man and the young Bruce Lee.

The film recreates the mid-1960’s fight between Lee and Wong. While the outcome of the fight remains the subject of debate, the contest launched Lee on the path to global superstardom.

Billy Magnussen will play Steve McKee, a young student of martial arts who follows the events closely. Chinese actor Yu Xia will play Man and Hong Kong-born Philip Ng will play Lee.

Chinese actress Jinging Qu plays Magnussen’s love interest, Xiulan. Rounding out the key cast is Chinese TV host Jin Xing as crime boss Auntie Blossom.

Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen J. Rivele co-wrote the screenplay.

Kylin Films is financing Birth Of The Dragon and the producers...

Over the weekend, the 53rd annual New York Film Festival came to a close with the World Premiere screening of Don Cheadle’s long brewing passion project Miles Ahead. This biopic of jazz musician Miles Davis has been in the works forever (with Cheadle as the star, co-writer, and director), so expectations were quite high for this one, which Nyff debuted as their 2015 Closing Night selection. A potential Academy Award player, either this year or next (more on that below), this was one of the bigger debuts in a while. Is it an Oscar contender or a pretender? Something in between, perhaps? Well, why don’t we find out below right now? Here’s a quick primer on the film itself, which of course is a look at a moment in time for legend Miles Davis. Cheadle plays Davis mostly during a period in which he had receded from public...

A smart, intelligent and fascinating movie in every way, director Ed Zwick’s Pawn Sacrifice makes all the right moves in this intensely watchable, sort-of biopic of the great chess grand master Bobby Fischer. But thanks to Zwick’s precise direction and camera work, and a taut script from Steven Knight (with story credit to Knight, Stephen J. Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson), this doesn’t play like a typical Hollywood biopic at all, but rather a snapshot in time that…...

Last week, the 2015 New York Film Festival gave us potentially another piece of the awards season puzzle when they announced their Closing Night selection for the fest. In a bit of a surprise, it’s Don Cheadle’s directorial debut Miles Ahead, a biopic about musician Miles Davis. Cheadle co-wrote the screenplay and stars as Davis as well, making this not just a passion project of his, but the sort of film that Academy members can sometimes really gravitate to. The fact that Nyff put it in the super prestigious Closing Night spot only makes it more of a movie we really need to pay attention to… Getting to be the closer at Nyff is a big deal for a flick. Unless this year is an anomaly, it more or less launches you straight into the heart of the Oscar race. Over the past 15 years, almost nothing in this slot...

Marco Polo

Hayden Christensen is set to star in filmmaker Rob Cohen's fantasy-action thriller "Marco Polo" at Paramount Pictures, China Film Group, Yuehua Entertainment, Huahua Film & Media Culture, and Phoenix Entertainment.

Christensen would play the Venetian merchant who embarked on a 24-year journey into China in the 13th century. This would mark the actor's first U.S. studio film since 2010's "Takers". [Source: Heat Vision]

Nine Lives

Robbie Amell ("The Flash") is in negotiations to join Kevin Spacey in Barry Sonnenfeld‘s high-concept comedy “Nine Lives” at EuropaCorp. Daniel Antoniazzi and Ben Shiffrin wrote the script.

Spacey plays a workaholic businessman who suffers a terrible accident that leaves him trapped in the body of the family cat. Christopher Walker and Malina Weissman co-star. [Source: The Wrap]

Ferrari

Robert De Niro is reportedly aboard to play Italian racer/engineer Enzo Ferrari in a biopic entitled "Ferrari". Clint Eastwood is reportedly interested in directing, provisional on a...

Toronto — It’s quite remarkable that up until now there has never been a biopic on the life of Bobby Fischer, arguably the greatest chess player of the 20th Century. Yes, his name was used in the acclaimed 1993 film “Searching for Bobby Fischer,” but that referenced his potential successor. Fisher’s life and his greatest moment, a dramatic match against his Russian counterpart, are finally depicted in the new drama “Pawn Sacrifice,” which screened at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. Fisher’s genius as a chess player first manifested at the age of 12 and by 13 he had become the youngest winner of the U.S. Junior Chess Championships. He enjoyed a spectacular rise as a master chess player and by 1957 he won the first of eight U.S. Championships (a competition he never lost). The world stage, on the other hand, was different. Rising to prominence at the height of the Cold War,...

Behold: Don Cheadle Is Miles Davis. The dapper actor who earned an Oscar nod for his portrayal of a noble hero in Hotel Rwanda; titillates and terrorizes in House of Lies; and kicked some serious bad guy ass in Iron Man 3 is now preparing to play one of the coolest American musicians ever in Miles Ahead. And the pic above is our first look. EW shared this pic, which has Cheadle posing with head bowed and a trumpet engraved with the name of Miles Ahead's hero, the one and only Miles Davis. Cheadle is making his directorial debut on the biopic that is now in production, sharing his schedule with Avengers: Age of Ultron, which demanded he reprise his role as Colonel James "War Machine/Iron Patriot" Rhodes. Cheadle also contributed to the screenplay, which he co-wrote with Steven Baigelman (Feeling Minnesota), Stephen J. Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson...

A biopic about the life of mixed martial arts superstar Bruce Lee has been in development for a while, but now it’s moving full steam ahead with a very intriguing director. George Nolfi, who previously helmed the Matt Damon sci-fi romance The Adjustment Bureau, has climbed on board Birth of The Dragon.

This Bruce Lee biopic hails from Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen Rivele, who previously penned two other terrific biopics, Nixon and Ali. It’s particularly encouraging that Wilkinson and Rivele wrote Ali, also about a famed athlete and fighter.

Birth of the Dragon is set to start filming next spring, once a cast has been locked into place, and today, an early synopsis emerged:

The film is inspired by the true story of Bruce Lee’s historic 1965 duel with Wong Jack Man, China’s most famous Kung Fu Master at a time when San Francisco’s Chinatown was controlled by Hong Kong Triads.

The director of The Adjustment Bureau, George Nolfi, is set to helm a new Bruce Lee biopic in development called Birth of the Dragon.

According to Variety, the film is inspired by the true story of Lee’s historic 1965 duel with Wong Jack Man, China’s most famous Kung Fu Master at a time when San Francisco’s Chinatown was controlled by Hong Kong Triads.

I'm a huge fan of Lee, and this is an incredible story. I'm really happy that they are making a movie that focuses on this part of his life. Below, I've included a video of someone who was at that fight describing how it all went down.

The film was written by Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen Rivele, who also worked on the films Nixon and Ali. Both of those movies had great scripts, so it seems like this biopic is in good hands.

The plan...

You might think that Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and endless assorted films/TV movies have covered the martial arts icon’s life on screen in perfect detail, but people still want to take parts of his time on this Earth as inspiration for their movies. Birth Of The Dragon is one such endeavour, and Adjustment Bureau director George Nolfi has stepped aboard to call the shots.Biopic specialists Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen Rivele have been developing this one for a while now, at least since last year, cooking up a story based on a real-life event in Lee’s life. The plot is inspired by the true story of Bruce Lee’s historic 1965 duel with Wong Jack Man, China’s most famous kung fu master at a time when San Francisco’s Chinatown was controlled by Hong Kong Triads. The story of the match is told from the perspective of Steve Macklin,...

"The Adjustment Bureau" director George Nolfi signed on for the upcoming Bruce Lee biopic "Birth of the Dragon," which will begin shooting next spring. The film is inspired by the true story of Bruce Lee's historic 1965 duel with Wong Jack Man, China's most famous kung fu master at a time when San Francisco's Chinatown was controlled by Hong Kong Triads. The story of the match is told from the perspective of Steve Macklin, a young disciple of Lee, who ultimately joins forces with Lee and Wong to battle a vicious band of Chinatown gangsters. The team of Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen Rivele, whose credits include "Nixon" and "Ali," came on board last year to write the script.

George Nolfi ("The Adjustment Bureau") is set to direct the Bruce Lee biopic "Birth of the Dragon" for Groundswell Productions and Qed International.

The story is inspired by the true-life no-rules fight in San Francisco's Triad-controlled Chinatown in 1965.

The fight, between Lee and China’s most famous kung fu master Wong Jack Man, will be used as a starting point for a bigger scale action movie with the pair battling Chinatown gangsters.

"Nixon" and "Ali" scribes Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen Rivele have penned the script. The pair will also produce along with Bill Block, Janice Williams and Michael London.

Filming aims to begin next spring.

Source: Variety...

Our thanks to Adam Smasher and Soua Her of the Hero Complex Gallery for hosting the memorable opening night of Kings of Cult: An Art Tribute to Roger Corman and Joe Dante. A special shout-out to Tfh's own Chris Condon for his herculean effort in coordinating the efforts of all concerned. Tfh gurus Ernest Dickerson, Mark Goldblatt. Larry Karaszewski, Ed Neumeier, Josh Olson, Brian Trenchard-Smith, Chris Wilkinson and Edgar Wright were part of the packed house. You can view other pictures of the festivities at Shock Till You Drop, Daily Dead and a great selection of Howling werewolves at Geek Tyrant. You can purchase art from the Kings of Cult show here at the Hero Complex site.

Roger Corman closely inspecting the art.

Chris Condon manhandling one of Rob Bottin's original masks for The Howling.

Roger and Joe feverishly signing.

Roger and cinematographer Elle Schneider (That Guy Dick Miller...

Today on Trailers from Hell, writer and producer Chris Wilkinson takes on the Farrelly Brothers' raunchy 1998 comedy starring Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller, "There's Something About Mary." If Mel Brooks had directed "An Affair to Remember," it might look something like this 1998 comedy from the Farrelly Brothers. Mixing gross out humor with a genuinely sweet romantic pay-off expanded its target audience and helped make "There's Something About Mary" the fourth highest grossing film of its year. Starring Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz and Matt Dillon in a ribald spin on the screwball comedies of the thirties, the Farrellys proved themselves to be inspired vulgarians with their hearts on their sleeves and DNA on their pants.

Most Academy Awards hand out five nominations apiece. Some awards only hand out three; a few years ago, the Academy opened up the Best Picture race to like a million nominees. But the specific number doesn’t really matter. Most races inevitably come down to some kind of face-off between two nominees: Frontrunner vs. Dark Horse, Beloved Veteran vs. Dynamic Newcomer, Megahit vs. Beloved Smaller Film, Dark Tale Of The Modern World vs. Sentimental Nostalgia Bait.

Each year, though there are races that defy any easy binary rendering. These are the categories that stacked almost too high with talent. Sometimes that’s clear right away,...

Deja Vu All Over Again! kicks off this week at Trailers from Hell, with screenwriter Chris Wilkinson introducing Harold Ramis' classic comedy of time-warp repetition, "Groundhog Day," starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell as would-be lovers at the mercy of furry Punxsutawney Phil.Murray finds the quintessential Bill Murray role in Ramis’ 1992 comic morality play about a shallow, egocentric reporter forced to repeat the same 24 hour day till he gets it right. The gently acerbic script, by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis, is equal parts Woody Allen and Preston Sturges with a little Frank Capra thrown in. Chris Elliot, Brian Doyle-Murray and Ramis are part of an amiably eccentric supporting cast that would make Sturges proud.

Ewan McGregor and Zoe Saldana are reportedly in talks to join the Miles Davis biopic "Kill The Trumpet Player". The project will be sold around at this year's Afm.

Don Cheadle is set to make his feature directorial debut on the film from a script by "Nixon" scribes Stephen J. Rivele and Chris Wilkinson.

Cheadle will star as the pioneering jazz trumpeter, while Herbie Hancock is on board as executive producer and musical supervisor.

Source: Screen Daily...

News Simon Brew 23 Jul 2013 - 08:04

The Freddie Mercury biopic will be going ahead without Sacha Baron Cohen involved...

And it seemed like such a good fit. It's been a while now since it was revealed that Sacha Baron Cohen was attached to take the lead in a biopic of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. But now the news has broken that the Borat and Bruno star has pulled out of the project.

The problem it appears, is that the direction Sacha Baron Cohen wanted to go with the project wasn't to the approval of the surviving members of Queen, who can veto both the script and choice of director. The creative conflict led to Baron Cohen leaving the film, it seems. He was looking for a harder, R-rated movie, whereas the Queen members apparently favoured something for a broader audience.

The film is still in development, but this is clearly a setback for it.