(Maze Runner II)-The Scorch Trials, Review: Trial and terror                                                                  Titles can mislead. Read in standalone mode, The Scorch Trials can easily be mistaken to be a film chronicling a series of court-room cases about burning issues. Of course, it is “no issue”, if ...

In the only Urdu/Hindi film he ever made, Indian cinema’s Bengali language grandmaster Satyajit Ray used chess as a metaphor, setting it against the backdrop of the crumbling Navabi rule over Avadh (Lucknow), and its imminent take-over by the British East India company. It was simply called Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players). Another chess film, a 30-minute short made in 1988, was called Queen Sacrifice. The present film manages with just a pawn sacrifice! Two feature-length recent ...

Black Mass, Review: Whitey’s black deeds and the FBI’s blind eye Black Mass is a term used to indicate a reverse Christian mass, the inversion of the traditional Latin Mass celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church, one that celebrates the occult. People who know this would think that a film with such a name was another supernatural horror drama. It is nothing of the kind. So, the makers toyed with the idea of changing the title, but for reasons best known to them, stuck with the or...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   How to Age Fantastically? By Adrienne Papp   By Adrienne Papp   Aging Fantastically© will host the Aging Fantastically Festival on Sunday, October 4th, 2015. The event will include lifestyle information on health, education, beauty aids and procedures, technology, exercise, Self-Employment Training, (SET), and financial planning. For men and women this festival will embrace the philosoph...

Instagram founder Kevin Systrom sold his company for a billion dollars, so what are these four coming-of-age ‘bro’s doing wasting their time? In between luring young music lovers to ‘socials’ and gigs, for a fee, they are doing drugs, while nursing hopes of hitting big time. Since they live on the other side of the Hollywood valley, in San Fernando, one of them, not surprisingly, wants to become an actor; another hopes to make it as a Disc Jockey (DJ), with at least one...

  Adrienne Papp and Debbie Reynolds   By Adrienne Papp The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted Tuesday night (August 25) to present Honorary Awards to Spike Lee and Gena Rowlands, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Debbie Reynolds.  All three awards will be presented at the Academy’s 7th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, November 14, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center&...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   Fortissimo Acquires International Rights to Epic Tragedy ” LA NOVIA” , By Adrienne Papp   By Adrienne Papp  FORTISSIMO ACQUIRES INTERNATIONAL SALES RIGHTS TO PAULA ORTIZ’S EPIC TRAGEDY “LA NOVIA”.   THE FILM WILL DEBUT IN THE ZABALTEGI SECTION OF THE 63RD SAN SEBASTIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.   LONDON, AUGUST 28, 2015: Fortissimo Film...

Released by the AFM, by Adrienne Papp  Follow us on Facebook The Film Catalogue Weekly Update |  Now in Pre-Production Locked In Pre-Production (2016) - English - Thriller,Action/Adventure,Suspense ...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   David Hill and Reginald Hudlin Tapped to Produce 88th Oscars®, By Adrienne Papp   By Adrienne Papp    Emmy®-winning live television producer David Hill and Oscar®-nominated producer-director Reginald Hudlin will produce the 88th Oscars telecast, Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced today.  It will be their...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   Celebrating the 25th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards   By Adrienne Papp    Industry professionals from around the world will  the 25th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards (www.25lama.com ) on September 17, 2015 at the world-famous Whisky a Go-Go on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.   The event was founded in 1991 by entertainment industry entre...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   American Film Market &   By Adrienne Papp Released by the AFM ...

She’s Funny That Way, Review: Screwball sex comedy, the Bogdanovich way In Ernst Lubitsch’s Cluny Brown (1946), Charles Boyer, playing Adam Belinski, says to Jennifer Jones, “In Hyde Park, some people like to feed nuts to the squirrels. But if it makes you happy to feed squirrels to the nuts, who am I to say nuts to the squirrels?” Writer-director Peter Bogdanovich liked this phrase so much, that he made it the title for his latest film, included an acknowledged clip ...

We're accepting films to our 3rd year!  We will boast 7 days of independent cinema from all over the world in a modern theater in the heart of the world-famous arts distrcit in North Hollywood, California!  All genres accepted.  Awards given in multiple categories.  Check us out at www.nohocinefest.com.  We are on Withoutabox and Film Freeway! ...

The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Review: US nephew, Russian nephew, German niece and the sinister Italian family plot It’s not about a man or the man, and the clever acronym for the secret agent network is a clear reference to Uncle Sam, alias the President of the United States of America, even though United Network Command for Law and Enforcement (UNCLE) is formally created only in the very last shot of the film. Then, again, it is not about Americans only. There’s a Russian KGB man too,...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   The Film Catalogue, The American Film Market, By Adrienne Papp     Now in Pre-Production Life on the Road Pre-Production (20...

Fantastic Four/FANT4STIC, Review: High on Fantasy, Low on Score Fourth outing for Marvel’s Fantastic 4 has a thinly spread plot and is further handicapped by lack-lustre performances. While a sequel is already in the offing, the 2015 prequel to the sci-fi series that was first adapted to the screen in 1994 seems to offer little raison d’être for it. Ten years ago, the first to be released theatre version, called Fantastic 4, was critically panned, though successful at the bo...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   LA Reign the National Pro Grid League ( NPGL) Featured in Anaheim, CA, By Adrienne Papp   Posted by Adrienne Papp  LA REIGN OF THE NATIONAL PRO GRID LEAGUE (NPGL) TO BE FEATURED AT THEFITEXPO ANAHEIM IN THE ANAHEIM CONVENTION CENTER ON AUGUST 23, 2015 GRID IS THE WORLD’S FIRST PROFESSIONAL SPECTATOR SPORT WITH CO-ED TEAMS THAT COMPETE IN STRATEGIC ATHLETICS RACING The LA Reign of the Nati...

The Gift, Review: Simon says watch this film There’s an old-world fluidity about The Gift. Unhurried narrative, under-the-skin performances, music as an essential component, naturally rich visuals, a critical look at morals and scruples, and a nod to several classic films of the stalker/suspense genre, as well as an outstanding war epic, not to mention a tribute to a popular song. It is more British than American in tone and tenor, though the production house (Blue Tongue) and the write...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   About the film “Tuff Luck” by Adrienne Papp     By Adrienne Papp  For every rock and roll band striving to grab that ever elusive brass ring and “make it” in the music business, there’s a million others, equally as talented, equally as inspired, equally as hard working, that unfortunately never get their shot for a confluence of reasons…timing, fate and ju...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   American Film Market & Conferences, By Adrienne Papp   By Adrienne Papp      ...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   The Tokyo International Film Festival, Posted By Adrienne Papp    ...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   The American Cinematheque Presents Jazz on Film, By Adrienne Papp   The American Cinematheque Presents… By Adrienne Papp  Jazz On Film Sponsored by Sony Legacy Recordings and Amoeba Music Thur., August 20 – Sun., August 23, 2015   Aer...

  The Old And New Hollywood of Peter Bogdanovich This Week! Thur., August 6 – Sun., August 9, 2015   Aero Theatre · 1328 Montana Ave Santa Monica, CA · 90403      Like his mentor Howard Hawks, Peter Bogdanovich has made a career out o...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   EXPLOSIVE EVENING FROM ARTEM SPECIAL EFFECTS, By Adrienne Papp   By Adrienne Papp Award-winning creates SFX at its headquarters in Perivale, London On July 16, the award-winning special effects company Artem opened its doors in Perivale, London, to showcase a number of awe-inspiring physical special effects. From pyrotechnics to atmospherics, Artem demonstrated its full range of skills and on-fiel...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   American Cinematheque, By Adrienne Papp For announcements, added guests, parking tips, post-event coverage and more follow us on Twitter (SidGrauman), Tumblr (American Cinematheque) and Facebook (Fan Pages for Aero Theatre, Egyptian Theatre). The Cinematheque needs your – the word along about screenings that interest you. And n...