Five Reasons You Need To See 'Blitz'

"Blitz," the British crime thriller from director Elliott Lester and also the easy pressure of character that's Jason Statham, arrives at DVD and Blu-Ray within the U . s . States today. With different novel of the identical title from Ken Bruen, "Blitz" follows the storyline of the disgruntled east London detective sergeant (Statham) who finds themself on the collision course with Craig Weiss, a dark and disturbed cop killer operating underneath the self-named moniker "Blitz." Take a look at a unique clip from "Blitz" within the video below, and on reading through for five reasons you can examine the film. The Transporter Statham plays Brant, an hard-consuming and difficult-striking cop who always will get what he wants so when he does not, there's hell to pay for. A combined pressure of character, fists along with other assorted blunt instruments, Brant will rank very well in Statham own hall of badass fame, an intensely watchable (otherwise always supportive) antihero from starting to finish. It is a role that I'd like to see him in over and over. Littlefinger Insufficient could be stated for Aidan Gillen and the performance as cop killer Craig Weiss. Gillen has plotted and planned on the watch's screen most notoriously on "Bet on Thrones" and "The Wire," but Littlefinger and Carcetti can step aside Weiss is really a schemer of the entirely unique color, a deeply disturbed individual that you'd never aspire to meet. Gillen certainly presents a personality you'll feel totally strongly about, if little else. Frequently reckless, rarely careful and try to unflinching in the bloodstream-drenched finish game, Gillen provides for us among the year's best criminals. The Killing Joke Strong because they are by themselves, both of these figures are much more effective with regards to each other. Fundamentally of "Blitz" is, from my perspective a minimum of, a tale similar to classic Batman/Joker tales: an "I made only you helped meInch kind of yarn having a couple of extremely important variations. Watchng Brant and Weiss square served by their opposite but believe it or not harmful skill sets creates the film's best sequences, particularly one which might have been a literal train wreck. Direction Since the cop and also the killer are extremely firmly at the middle of the film, the viewer manages to lose all the whodunit mystery along the way. Rather, director Lester allows you in on everything our hero and villain are as much as, keeping your camera squarely centered on them within their boldest mments in addition to their most private and frequently pitch-dark ones. Lester's direction is impressive, otherwise easy to look at -- however the pang inside your stomach, that unyielding feeling of dread, is greatly area of the point. Past Violence In short, "Blitz" is brutal. It isn't just a bloodstream bath of hardcore violence and physical destruction, additionally, it puts the depths of human depravity and psychosis underneath the microscope. You frequently will not understand a specific item actually, you will possibly not even enjoy it most of the time. But through all of the cringing and urges to appear away, you will find a film that stabs you with dread with techniques that couple of others have this season. In the event that seems like to your liking or, if you are Brant, your table-side wake-up glass of scotch i quickly can't recommend the film more highly. Inform us what you believe within the comments as well as on Twitter!

First trailer for Underworld: Awakening online

War! What exactly is it great for? Usual answer: practically nothing. Movie-related answer: giving us an excellent mixture of action and drama, as will hopefully be with Underworld: Awakening.Your dream appears to become exactly the same as always within the latest film within this franchise, with lycans and vampires of the underworld each and every others throats once more.However, this time around the people has learned that vamps and werewolves are really the and it has made the decision to become listed on the ruck.Kate Beckinsale returns because the vampire Selene. More to the point the same is true her tight-fitting leather suit.Underworld: Awakening opens in three dimensional and 2D on 20 The month of january 2012.

The Substance -- Albert Hofmann's LSD

A Frenetic Films release of a Ventura Films presentation and production, in association with Radiotelevisione svizzera, Teleclub, Lichtblick Filmproduktion, Spotlight Media Prods. (International sales: Autlook Filmsales, Vienna.) Produced by Elda Guidinetti, Andres Pfaeffli. Co-producers, Carl-Ludwig Rettinger, Peter Luisi. Directed, written by Martin Witz.With: Albert Hofmann, Stanislav Grof, Nick Sand, James M. Ketchum, Franz X. Vollenweider, Clark Martin, Carolyn Garcia, Roland Griffiths. Narrator: Hans-Peter Mueller-Drossaart. (German, English, Czech dialogue)Can one fault a documentary about acid for not being properly balanced? Either way, Swiss scribe-helmer Martin Witz's "The Substance -- Albert Hofmann's LSD" presents a lopsided and somewhat sedate history ("Enter the Void" this is not) of lysergic acid diethylamide. Frustratingly, LSD's heyday as the 1960s counterculture drug of choice is covered extensively, even though its discovery, early applications by psychiatrists and the CIA and present-day use in psychedelic therapy offer more fascinating and less familiar narratives. Nonetheless, fest and tube interest should be substantial. Pic's main talking head is the titular Swiss scientist, who synthesized the substance in a 1943 Basel laboratory (the abbreviation LSD comes from the drug's German moniker). Interviewed in 2005, the late Hofmann offers fascinating and lucid commentary on his first experiences with LSD, tested on himself, and, in his view, the appalling way in which it was appropriated by Timothy Leary (who popularized the phrase "Turn on, tune in, drop out") and the make-love-not-war masses. German-language narration, mixed-bag archival footage and soundbites from other interviewees occasionally stray quite far from Hofmann's story, giving the pic a loose, rambling feel.Camera (color/B&W), Pio Corradi, Patrick Lindenmaier; editor, Stefan Kaelin; music, Marcel Vaid. Reviewed at Locarno Film Festival (Filmmakers of the Present), Aug. 6, 2011. Running time: 89 MIN. Contact Boyd van Hoeij at news@variety.com

Walton Goggins Joins G.I. Joe 2

He'll be warden Nigel JamesSince appearing in superb US cop show The Shield and doing solid work on current drama Justified, Walton Goggins has been scoring some well-deserved film work. He's already shown up in Cowboys & Aliens, been picked by Steven Spielberg to play Wells Hutchins in Lincoln and has just landed a role in G. I. Joe 2: Retaliation. There's not a lot of info about Goggins' character, reported by Variety as warden Nigel James, who doesn't appear in the original 'toon series or toy line-up. But we're guessing he'll be slimy, as Goggins does that so very well. Channing Tatum is returning to head up the cast, with fellow veterans Ray Park and Byung-hun Lee. They'll be joined by an almost completely new group of actors including Dwayne "Team Bring It" Johnson, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Stevenson, Joseph Mazzello, Arnold Vosloo, DJ Cotrona, Jonathan Pryce, Elodie Yung and RZA. Bruce Willis is also in talks to play the founder of the Joe team. And while the script, penned by Zombieland's Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese is being kept secret, we're going to make a wild guess and say that Cobra comes back to cause more trouble. Jon M Chu is kicking off the shoot later this month in New Orleans, with the movie aimed at a June 2012 release date.

Pioneering TV host hopes success translates

Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared on Cristina Saralegui's earlier show, and she's hoping to persuade him to visit the new one with his former housekeeper, Mildred Baena.Cristina Saralegui will continue to tape shows at her Blue Dolphin studio in Miami.Cuban-born TV personality Cristina Saralegui is used to fighting battles: over whether to speak English or Spanish on her talkshow, over whether Hispanic auds would embrace discussion about taboo topics and, at age 63, whether she could still drive big ratings on a new network.Over two decades, she's proven naysayers wrong, and when she launches her latest self-titled show, "Pa'lante con Cristina" (Moving Forward With Cristina) on NBCU's Telemundo in October, she'll be embracing the new realities of a fast-growing bilingual, bicultural Latino market: The show will be subtitled in English, and the hostess known as the "Latina Oprah" will break into English or Spanglish whenever she wants. That's an important freedom after her 21 years hosting "La Show de Cristina" (Cristina's Show) at rival Univision, where she chafed against the U.S. Hispanic net's no-English policy.At Univision, her English-speaking guests were simultaneously dubbed, although some made the effort to learn or improve their Spanish. "Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Smits and Edward James Olmos -- all learned to speak Spanish so that they could promote themselves better on Univision," Saralegui says. "Talent were not allowed to sing in English," she adds. "I was supposed to have complete creative control, but they tampered with my show anyway. Coming from Cuba, I call that censorship."The debut of Telemundo's "Pa'lante con Cristina" will roughly coincide with the first anniversary of Univision's cancellation of "Cristina's Show," which had a three-point drop to an average of 23 share from 26 at the time of its being axed; rumors swirled that the network wanted new blood. "People have been coming up to me, telling me they've missed me," she says. "And many have asked me through the years why I didn't have my showstranslated into English."But with the 2010 census and other studies pointing to a fast-expanding base of bilingual youth, Univision seems to have softened its stance. The net's new prexy and CEO, Randy Falco, has said that Univision is exploring its reach to English-speaking viewers."We are going to experiment with what our audience will allow," he stated in June. "Over time, we will assess what appetite (they have) for English."In July, on Univision's youth awards show "Premios Juventud," rapper Pitbull sang in English, and in a recent episode of celebrity dance competish "Mira quien baila" (Look Who's Dancing), Mexican-born thesp Bianca Marroquin sang and danced to various tunes in English from the musical "Chicago."Univision replaced the 10 p.m. Monday slot occupied by "The Cristina Show" with telenovelas and another long-running talkshow, "Don Francisco Presenta." There was talk that its Chilean-born host, Mario Kreutzberger, who also hosts the 49-year-old Saturday variety program "Sabado Gigante" on Univision, feared he'd be the next to get the boot, but that didn't happen.The replacement programming has averaged 20% higher ratings among adults 18-49 compared with the previous year, according to Univision. But Saralegui is moving on to a bigger paycheck, more creative freedom and a two-hour weekly talk/variety show that she will develop and executive-produce as well as host. Better yet, Telemundo is leasing the same soundstage from Saralegui's Blue Dolphin Studios where she produced "The Cristina Show." Saralegui has owned the 50,000-square-foot Miami studio since she and husband-manager Marcos Avila acquired and refurbished the facility for $10 million more than a decade ago.The 12-time Emmy winner is among a handful of female celebrities in U.S. entertainment history who have owned a studio; others include Mary Pickford, Lucille Ball and Oprah Winfrey. Persuaded by former Telemundo prexy Don Browne, she signed a five-year deal with Telemundo -- three more years than she initially wanted. "I said OK, even if I have to come in on a wheelchair," says the sprightly Saralegui.The host has come a long way from her first program, aired on April 17, 1989, which began as a conventional talkshow stripped daily on Univision. It eventually evolved into a show that tackled erstwhile taboo issues such as homosexuality, AIDS and spousal abuse.More important, Saralegui disproved the general belief that Latinos would not reveal their innermost fears and foibles. Those who thought she would fail did not count on her ability to put people at ease and to open up to her. "Cristina's Show," stripped daily for a decade before going weekly, ranked among the highest-rated programs on Spanish-language television. Over its last five years, the show delivered a 26 average share.In 1994, when same-sex marriage was mostly unrecognized across the U.S., Saralegui hosted two symbolic weddings for a gay and a lesbian couple on her show. These drew protests and even bomb threats, but also prompted her English-language counterparts Barbara Walters and Winfrey to follow suit with their own discussions of the topic. "Cristina has always been ahead of the curve in so many social issues as she would say at the end of every show 'pa'lante, pa'lante, pa'tras ni pa'coger impulso,' which basically means 'Go foward, forward, don't ever go back, not even to pick up your pace,' " says Ivan de Paz, prexy of Latino talent management company DePaz Management. Plans for the new show and names of guests are under wraps but Saralegui is hoping Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mildred Baena, the former housekeeper who secretly bore him a son 14 years ago, will agree to show up together.She's also planning to invite George Lopez and Eva Longoria, two of many celebs she wasn't allowed to host on Univision because of that net's policy against inviting personalities with their own TV programs. (Lopez's show was cancelled by TBS on Aug. 10.)"Pa'lante con Cristina" will also feature more segments shot on location and news-oriented pieces on trends and topics in the Spanish-speaking world.If a special she hosted on Telemundo on May 31 is any indication, Saralegui is well on her way to luring more viewers to the network, which has always run a distant second to Univision. That show became Telemundo's highest-rated primetime entertainment special ever among total viewers and adults 18-49, according to Nielsen. The one-hour yakker, which featured Saralegui interviewing the cast of Telemundo's biggest telenovela, averaged more than 2.3 million total viewers and nearly 1.4 million adults. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

HBO Orders Script for Potential Kevin Bacon Star Vehicle

20th Century Fox HBO has founds its Valentine. The premium cable network has ordered a half-hour comedy script that could serve as a star vehicle for Kevin Bacon. Bacon will serve as an executive producer on the project, alongside Parks/MacDonald Production's Walter Parks and Laurie MacDonald, Ted Gold and Bacon's manager David Schiff. Bryan Sipe (Alpha Mail) is attached to write Valentine. Bacon, who is also attached to HBO golf comedy project based on Clint McCown's The Member-Guest, is being eyed for the role of Johnny Valentine, a down on his luck man who nabs a talk radio gig. HBO teamed with Bacon on Taking Chance, a 2009 war-themed telepic that garnered the actor an Emmy nomination. Bacon, whose Crazy Stupid Love is currently in theaters, is repped by WME and The Schiff Company. Kevin Bacon HBO

Publicist Maria La Magra dies

Veteran homevideo publicist Maria La Magra, who had been Vice president of publicity at what's now Universal Galleries Home Theatre prior to starting independent are a PR consultant, died of cancer on Sunday, August. 7. La Magra held the Vice president of publicity publish at U for 11 years until 2002. She started operate in the recording sector back in 1984, joining Embassy Home Theatre as director of pr. Following a stint within the consumer productions division at Daniel J. Edelman Pr, she became a member of Trimark Pictures as director in 1989, eventually becoming Vice president of theatrical and homevideo publicity. La Magra became a member of MCA Home Video's publicity department as topper in May 1991 and was viewed as impressive for the reason that role. She was answer to the launch from the "Jurassic Park" franchise and was credited with improving Universal's entry in to the DVD market. She would be a consultant for The new sony Pictures Home Theatre after exiting U. Wally Disney Galleries Home Theatre have been among her clients since 2003, as well as in 2005 she became a member of forces with Nadia Bronson & Affiliates, where she would be a PR consultant. La Magra graduated from UCLA in 1973. She would be a key mover within the Entertainment Helps Alliance, where she was most lately secretary from the org, and her last public appearance was in an EAA event in June. La Magra also lately offered about the board of company directors from the Entertainment Publicists Professional Society. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' Too Scary? Here Are Memorable Monkey Movies for Your Kids

If there's one durable truism in cinema, it's this: Kids love monkeys. That said, this week's new primate prequel, 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes,' may not be the most kid-friendly monkey movie. The PG-13 flick's ape-ocalypse, in which super-smart simians escape from the lab and make war on humanity, may be too scary for some children. But if your kids are jonesing for some monkeyshines, there are plenty of moppet-friendly monkey movies on disc. Here are some of the most memorable films featuring primates with banana appeal. (We tried to keep the list kid-appropriate, so no 'The Hangover Part II.') Let us know if we forgot any that are favorites of your little boys and gorillas. For Younger Kids: 'Bedtime for Bonzo' (1951): One of the most famous human-chimpanzee bonding movies is this underrated comedy about a college psychology professor who raises a chimp as if it were a human child. Adults will be amused by the fact that the professor is played by Ronald Reagan, who comports himself with the same grace and good humor he displayed in dealing with the jungle of Washington politics three decades later. 'Curious George' (2006): Very young children will be as enchanted by the adaptation of the popular children's book series, in which we learn how the trouble-prone chimp came to live with the Man in the Yellow Hat (voice of Will Ferrell). Parents will be charmed by the old-school animation (meant to resemble the simple style of the books' illustrations) and the acoustic soundtrack by Jack Johnson. 'Dunston Checks In' (1996): Orangutan trained to steal jewelry wreaks havoc in a luxury hotel. Kids will appreciate the monkey mayhem, but there isn't much here for grown-ups, though they may enjoy the clowning of pros like Jason Alexander, Faye Dunaway and Rupert Everett. And Sam the Orangutan is surprisingly convincing in Dunston's more emotional moments. 'George of the Jungle' (1997): Adults who remember the old cartoon about a dim-witted Tarzan type should enjoy the live-action version. Sweet, simple George (Brendan Fraser) has lots of simian pals -- well, sort of pals, though they make fun of him behind his back. One is a capuchin monkey (played by a capuchin monkey), and one is an animatronic ape named Ape (voiced with his usual exasperation and hauteur by John Cleese). 'Mighty Joe Young' (1998): The original 1940s version of this girl-and-giant-gorilla saga always seemed a knock-off of 'King Kong.' Still, we prefer the 1990s remake, in part for the human talents of Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton, and partly for the impressive effects work that makes Joe both a soulful simian and a destructive force of nature. 'Monkey Trouble' (1994): Another movie, like 'Dunston,' about a light-fingered primate (in this case, a capuchin monkey) torn between a life of crime and going straight. Battling for the monkey's soul are his Fagin-like master (a menacing Harvey Keitel) and a little girl (Thora Birch). Beware: The film may make your kids beg you for a capuchin for a pet. 'MVP: Most Valuable Primate' (2000): Chimp learns to play hockey. What more do you need to know? Followed by a sequel, 'MVP: Most Vertical Primate,' in which the chimp takes up skateboarding. 'Tarzan and His Mate' (1934): There are countless Tarzan movies, of course; we picked this one because Johnny Weissmuller is still the definitive Lord of the Jungle and because this film has a heroic role for Cheeta, with the chimp nursing an ailing Tarzan back to health. A good way to introduce kids to the Tarzan character and the dozens of movies about him. For Older Kids: 'Buddy' (1997): Based loosely on a true story, 'Buddy' stars Rene Russo as a socialite whose house is a menagerie, including chimps and a large gorilla that she tries to raise as humans. This doesn't turn out well, and what started as a comedy takes a darker turn. 'Every Which Way But Loose' (1978): This movie is full of brawlin,' boozin' and other behavior you wouldn't want your kids to emulate. Still, this PG-rated comedy is pretty mild and enjoyably low-key. At its heart is the friendship between Clint Eastwood's bare-knuckle boxer and Clyde, an orangutan with a powerful right hook of his own. 'King Kong' (1933): With all due respect to Peter Jackson's impressive 2005 remake, it's not as satisfying as the imaginative original. Even your youngest kids may already know the story, but the surprisingly scary middle section, full of giant monsters and violent deaths, may put the movie out of bounds for small children. 'Outbreak' (1995): Here's Rene Russo again, in a story that, for all its epic disaster-mongering, centers on a capuchin monkey. In this case, the adorable little guy is the carrier of an Ebola-like virus that threatens to wipe out a small California town -- and then all of America. There are some really disgusting scenes of stricken people turning into mush as the disease takes its course, but what may be harder to swallow is the notion of Dustin Hoffman as an action hero. Fortunately, the always-reassuring Morgan Freeman is along for the ride. 'Planet of the Apes' (1968): For all the sequels, remakes, reboots and TV series, there's still no topping the original. For all the scenery-chewing of the incomparable Charlton Heston as the stranded astronaut, there's actually a lot of subtle satire (in the depiction of the stratified society of chimps, orangutans and gorillas) that will go over the heads of younger kids. 'Project X' (1987): Matthew Broderick and Helen Hunt have a couple of their earliest adult roles as military types working with smart chimps who can communicate via sign language. They plot to free their furry friends from the lab before the primates can be irradiated in an experiment. Action-comedy monkey business ensues. Broderick and Hunt acquit themselves, but the movie is stolen by Willie the Chimp, who plays the intelligent Virgil. Watch for a conclusion that evokes Broderick's 'WarGames,' with the monkeys nearly causing a nuclear meltdown. Had things taken a darker turn, this could have been the original 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes.' Follow Gary Susman on Twitter: @garysusman.