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The movie musical has morphed drastically over a century. When the musical genre first came to prominence in the sound era of Hollywood, it was a space for revues with little care or thought as to a storyline connecting musical numbers. Eventually, just as the stage musical changed with "Oklahoma!" and "South Pacific," Hollywood morphed in the same way. But it wasn't just that films such as "An American in Paris" or "The Band Wagon" told full stories with song-and-dance numbers; Hollywood went straight to the source to take stage musicals and adapt them into features. Although we're not in a Golden Age of movie musicals the way that things were in the 1960s, there are plenty of big-budget musical adaptations that burst onto the scene, as well as more low-key affairs meant to match their source material, everything from the mid-2000s adaptation of "Dreamgirls" to "Dear Evan Hansen.

Agatha Christie is the second best-selling author of all time, behind only William Shakespeare. Upon reading just one of her books, it's easy to see why her mysteries have continued entertaining audiences long after her death. She crafted compelling twists and engaging protagonists, with Hercule Poirot being her most brilliant creation, but she also wrote adventures starring Miss Marple and Parker Pyne in case anyone wanted a break for Hercule every now and then. 

Christie's novels have been adapted many times over into movies, stage plays, and television shows, and she's inspired generations of mystery writers. Writer/director Rian Johnson even said he looked toward Christie for inspiration when figuring out how to take "Glass Onion" in a new direction after "Knives Out." It's easy to see why, as she was prone to playing with genres. Though her books may have largely been mysteries, there were also elements of comedy...

British actor Ralph Fiennes, who graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, is now in his 60s with a celebrated career as a leading star and character actor.

He often plays compromised men on the big screen such as his Austrian Nazi Amon Göth, who oversees the building of a concentration camp in Poland in Schindler’s List. In 2011, Fiennes made his big-screen directorial debut and also starred in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Coriolanus. He starred, produced and directed 2013’s The Invisible Woman, where he portrayed Charles Dickens. Most notably, Fiennes has been in several Best Picture Oscar winners including 1993’s Schindler’s List, The English Patient, and 2009’s The Hurt Locker. His 2022 movie The Menu brought him a Golden Globe nomination in the comedy/musical category. And his 2024 film Conclave delivered some of the best reviews of his career plus nominations from all of the major film awards.

In our photo gallery,...

"What's in a name?" William Shakespeare's Juliet once asked. "That which we call a rose, by any other word would smell as sweet." That may be true, as far as it goes, but would an A-List actor by any other name sell as many box office tickets?

An actor's name is their brand, so choosing the right name to attach your career to is of the utmost importance. An actor's name can signal all sorts of things to an audience -- familiarity or friendliness, sexiness or masculinity. Some names signal cultural identity, while others are designed to be as bland as possible so as to avoid drawing the wrong sort of attention from a prejudiced crowd. Actors may even adopt different names for simplicity's sake, or to craft an identity wholly separate from their private lives. With all that in mind, read on to learn about fifteen actors who changed their names for Hollywood.

British star Rose Ayling-Ellis is only 30 years old but has already broken new ground and torn down barriers left and right.

In 2021, she became the first deaf contestant on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing – and won the season. In 2022, Ayling-Ellis was the first celebrity to tell a bedtime story on BBC kids channel CBeebies, namely Raymond Antrobus’ Can Bears Ski?, in sign language. That year, she also gave the Alternative MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh Television Festival, saying “I am disabled because I live and work in a world that disables me,” adding: “I am done with being the token deaf character.”

In 2023, she made her stage debut as Celia in Josie Rourke’s version of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It and received the Stage Debut Award for Best West End Debut and an Olivier Award nomination for best actress in a supporting role. And in 2024, she worked...

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You’re Cordially Invited is a romantic comedy film written and directed by Nicholas Stoller. The Prime Video film follows Margot, a woman planning her sister’s wedding and Jim, an overattentive father planning his daughter’s wedding. However, when the venue is mistakenly double booked, both Margot and Jim get into various misadventures. You’re Cordially Invited stars Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Geraldine Viswanathan, Meredith Hagner, Stony Blyden, Leanne Morgan, and Rory Scovel. So, if you loved the hilarious comedy, a bit of romance, and compelling characters in You’re Cordially Invited, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Bride Wars (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – 20th Century Studios

Bride Wars is a romantic comedy film directed by Gary Winick from a screenplay co-written by Greg DePaul, Casey Wilson, and June Diane Raphael. The 2009 film follows Emma Allan and Olivia “Liv” Lerner,...

Saif Ali Khan Once Fled A Film’s Set Topless (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Saif Ali Khan has experienced several things while shooting for films, and he once fled a film’s set without clothes. The actor is one of the most versatile performers in the industry and recently left the fandom in a frenzy when an intruder stabbed him in his house during a conflict. Scroll below for more.

This throwback incident took place during the shoot of Omkara. It was by Vishal Bhardhwaj featuring Saif, Ajay Devgn, and Vivek Oberoi alongside Kareena Kapoor and Konkona Sen. The movie was based on William Shakespeare’s Othello. It earned loads of accolades and honors. Saif was highly praised for his antagonistic role, Langda Tyagi, and it was like a turning point in his career as it changed his image from a chocolate boy to a gritty persona.

Omkara was shot in Allahabad,...

Sing Sing is a new prison drama film that might initially seem a little too similar to other films of the genre, in which we essentially follow prison inmates in their endeavor to understand and accept the conditions of their present life. But just a few minutes into its runtime, this film starts to stand out, both because of the extremely real and convincing approach it takes with its characters and their motivations and also due to the overarching sense of hope that guides it. By the end, it is really remarkable how Sing Sing beautifully talks about all the facets of life behind bars and the associated potential of life, and the film is an absolute must-watch for fans of serious drama.

Spoiler Alert

What is the film about?

Sing Sing begins with a stage performance of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” with the cast receiving a...

The Substance director Coralie Fargeat has revealed that she could have instead been the director of Marvel’s Black Widow.

Starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, wildly satirical body horror The Substance has emerged as one of the most acclaimed films of 2024, and has since been nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture. In a surprising twist, its director, French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat, has revealed that her film may never have happened if she’d responded to the lure of Marvel.

In an interview with Variety that’s well worth a read, Fargeat reveals that Marvel offered her the chance to direct the 2020 film Black Widow following the critical success of her absorbing and propulsive 2017 thriller, Revenge. Fargeat reveals that even though she was “broke” at the time, she resisted the financial muscle of Marvel’s offer because she didn’t believe Marvel would grant her final cut.

Instead, in...

William Shakespeare once said, “All the world’s a stage,” but for Kevin Kline, the stage is a way of life, and his love for theater is vast. MGM+ announced today an eight-episode series order for American Classic, a half-hour comedy series from o-creators Michael Hoffman and Bob Martin (The Prom, Slings and Arrows). American Classic stars Kevin Sline as Richard Bean and Jon Tenney as Jon Bean. Hoffman directs the series, with production kicking into high gear later this year in New Jersey.

Here’s an official description of American Classic courtesy of MGM+:

“American Classic centers on Broadway star and notorious narcissist Richard Bean, played by Kline, who suffers a spectacular public meltdown and returns to his hometown and the family-run theater where he first became aware of his own brilliance. When he arrives, he is shocked to discover that his father, the former artistic director, has...

Saif Ali Khan Once Admitted That He Regretted Doing A Daring Bottom Exposing Scene in Omkara( Photo Credit – YouTube )

Saif Ali Khan is one of those actors who flawlessly plays different kinds of roles in movies, from a charming hero to a gritty negative character. He might have had regrets about his career for not choosing certain films, and he might have opened up about them, but he once openly regretted turning down Vishal Bhardwaj for a nak*d scene in Omkara. Keep scrolling for the deets.

Omkara is one of the finest Hindi movies in history. It was adapted from William Shakespeare’s Othello and features an ensemble cast of Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Saif, Konkona Sen Sharma, Vivek Oberoi, and Bipasha Basu in lead roles. It has won numerous accolades, including three National Film Awards. Saif’s career got a remarkable boost for his exceptional performance as Langda Tyagi,...

Hollywood has, in recent years, truly begun to crack the code on video game movies. The impressive success of adaptations such as "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" has cemented the fact that we've truly turned a corner in that regard. That being the case, just about every major video game is probably going to be targeted by studios in the coming years, and Grand Theft Auto will undoubtedly be on that list. Interestingly enough, though, a truly excellent movie set in the world of GTA recently hit theaters, and with the full support of GTA creator Rockstar Games, no less.

One would be forgiven for not knowing about it since it's kind of a small movie, but the documentary "Grand Theft Hamlet" recently hit theaters via the folks at Mubi. For those who aren't aware of it, as the title implies, it mashes together the worlds of GTA and William Shakespeare,...

When Jim Henson died in 1990, he had already negotiated a deal to sell his beloved Muppet characters to the Disney corporation, feeling that a big, brand-driven company could keep Muppet movies alive while he took a break to focus on more creative, strange, ambitious projects. Disney has since run hot and cold with the Muppets, making several notable hit films, but also multiple forgettable TV specials, and a few TV shows, two of which spectacularly bombed.

Making movies with the Muppets, Disney has learned, requires a gentle balance. Kermit the Frog is an innocent, honest character, devoid of cynicism, but the Muppets have always possessed an element of self-awareness. The original "The Muppet Show," after all, was half a variety program with singing/dancing Muppet performers, and half backstage drama with picky Muppet actors and overwhelmed Muppet stagehands. Most of the Muppet movies have addressed their status as a theater troupe,...

As January wraps up, Hulu is keeping the momentum going with an impressive lineup of new titles next month. Whether you’re into movies, TV shows, or both, there’s plenty to keep you entertained throughout February.

Hulu is starting strong with over 60 new titles arriving on February 1 alone. Some standout additions include Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2, as well as all four seasons of the classic ’90s drama New York Undercover.

Reality TV fans will also have something to look forward to with the season six premiere of The Kardashians.

But as exciting as the new arrivals are, there’s always the bittersweet reality that some beloved titles are leaving. In February, Hulu will only be removing movies, so TV lovers can breathe easy. However, the list of departing films includes some good titles, like Titane (2021) and Spencer (2021), which earned Kristen Stewart an Oscar nomination.

Ever since its launch, Grand Theft Auto Online has been a massive home for a variety of players, whether it's friends looking to embark on crazy missions, or individuals looking to create the most chaos and damage possible. Uniquely, Grand Theft Hamlet seeks to break the series' violence-driven formula to create a more engaging and innovative format for what the Rockstar game could be, though it is slightly hampered by the lack of longevity in its premise.

Grand Theft Hamlet is a 2024 film where two unemployed friends attempt to stage Shakespeare's Hamlet within the virtual realm of Grand Theft Auto. The movie unfolds as a humorous and surreal narrative, blending classic literature with the chaotic world of the video game.

Runtime  89 MinutesGenres  DocumentaryCast  Gareth Turkington, Mark Oosterveen, Jen Cohn, Sam CraneDirector  Pinny Grylls, Sam CraneWriters  Sam Crane Pinny Grylls

Directed by Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls, Grand Theft Hamlet focuses...

There are, at a minimum, and I checked, 18 bazillion adaptations of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” It’s one of the most beloved and scrutinized texts in the whole of the English language.

More actors than anyone can count — strike that, I guess there’ve been 18 bazillion — have put their stamp on this 425-year-old play about a prince and his revenge against his conspiring, murderous uncle. The words “to be or not to be” are emblazoned within the global lexicon, preserving forever Shakespeare’s complex thoughts about ending one’s own life, as generation after generation of performers and directors put their own stamp on perhaps the most well-worn dramatic material humanity has.

But I’ve never seen a “to be or not to be” speech quite like the one in “Grand Theft Hamlet.” It is now a speech about life spoken to lifeless automatons, frequently interrupted by real-life jerks who murder the actor mid-speech.

In the world of gaming, there are few names bigger than Grand Theft Auto. While the games have been incredibly popular since their inception, it was the release of Grand Theft Auto V more than a decade ago that took the series to the stratosphere. More importantly, Grand Theft Auto Online gave the series new life, and has since become one of the most popular games on the planet. It's only natural that the game would make a good subject for a movie. It's far less natural that said movie would also involve the work of famed playwright William Shakespeare. Yet, here we are.

"Grand Theft Hamlet" is a new documentary from Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls that sees a ragtag group of performers attempting to stage a full production of "Hamlet" inside of Grand Theft Auto Online. After seeing the film at SXSW last year and raving about it,...

Since the original Disney movie was released in 1994, The Lion King has become a much bigger franchise, with two modern CGI adaptations. It is a well-known fact that The Lion King is based on the story of Hamlet - the young son of a king goes on a journey of self-discovery after his father is murdered by his power-hungry uncle. Naturally, there are plenty of similarities between Hamlet and The Lion King, some of which can also be found in the sequels and even Mufasa: The Lion King.

The Lion King to the Oscars, with both the 1994 original and the 2019 remake nominated for Academy Awards. Despite the success and cultural impact of the 1994 film, there are a few harsh realities when rewatching The Lion King. Although The Lion King was obviously never meant to be a faithful adaptation of the William Shakespeare play Hamlet, as the movie was merely inspired by the famous tragedy,...

Thanks to his performance as Johnny Lawrence in "The Karate Kid," William "Billy" Zabka's appearance exemplifies the archetype of all 1980s movie bullies. Suppose you close your eyes and think of the type of guy who would pester the charming underdog of an '80s teen movie. In that case, he's probably a tall, beefy blonde whose parents definitely had a photo of Ronald Reagan hanging above the TV in their living room. It's not Zabka's fault that he became the blueprint for this character type, but when looking at the landscape of high school movies from the decade, it certainly seems like every casting director was looking for "a Billy Zabka type." In some instances, that meant straight-up hiring him.

Zabka's follow-up to his breakout role in "The Karate Kid" is an oft-forgotten teen comedy directed by Lisa Gottlieb called "Just One of the Guys." A loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night,...

There are a lot of influences that Skeleton Crew could cite as inspiration, from The Goonies to Peter Pan. With the inclusion of a turncoat who had been something of a friend, it's recently looked a lot like Treasure Island. One character dynamic points to a different source, and that is the rivalry between Jod Na Nawood and Captain Brutus.

Who is Brutus in Skeleton Crew named after?

A mutiny is a common trope in pirate stories and it's been entertaining to watch how Jod shifts from quasi-Jedi to conniving swashbuckler throughout the series so far. He even uses a sea shanty to inspire the crew to carry out another kind of mutiny against their new captain, Brutus. In episode 7, "We're Gonna Be In So Much Trouble," he kills Brutus in cold blood and then calls him "back-stabbing." I had just moments before realized that a traitor could have been named for Marcus Brutus,...

James Gunn is without a doubt one of the most famous current film directors in Hollywood, especially in the blockbuster realm. In the last few years, his superb and ingenious work with Guardians of the Galaxy confirmed his talent as a filmmaker as well as his flair for the superhero genre. Many of his fans are inevitably looking forward to July, when they will finally be able to see Gunn's latest movie, Superman.

Nevertheless, before dedicating himself to a career as a film director, Gunn started in the mid-1990s as a no less savvy screenwriter. The nowadays recognized artist of the superhero genre wrote cults like Scooby-Doo and the Dawn of The Dead, as well as some innovative TV shows. As a consequence, it is fair to remind fans that there are many unexplored gems that they might not know were written by James Gunn.

Tromeo And Juliet...

Warning: This article discusses topics of extreme violence and death.

Horror isn’t the only genre with movies where all the main characters die. Some of the best movies of all time see the deaths of one or more characters, and it’s always a shock when a prominent figure dies. However, it’s an unusual occasion in which all the main characters die. Plenty of slasher movies kill off every character, although this is the staple of the subgenre.

While it’s normal for a horror movie to slaughter its characters, whether that’s one-by-one or all in one go, it’s strange when another genre kills so many people. Sudden character deaths in movies often cause a significant shift in tone, so killing more than one off is a brilliant way for a film to grab the audiences’ attention. Whether it’s because of an apocalypse, revenge, or a series of coincidental events,...

Francesca Noel and Ana Ortiz are a mother and daughter who must reckon with the resurgence of a secret from the former's past in Goosebumps: The Vanishing. The latest season of the Disney+ adaptation of R.L. Stine's novels continues Noel's rise to stardom, having previously appeared in a variety of shorts, as well as the coming-of-age drama Selah and the Spades and R#J, a modern-day adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic. Ortiz, on the other hand, has enjoyed a career of both main and supporting roles in a variety of hit movies and TV shows, namely Ugly Betty and Hulu's Love, Victor, among others.

Noel and Ortiz star in Goosebumps: The Vanishing's story as Alex and Jen, the neighbors to David Schwimmer's Anthony, with whom the latter was also a childhood friend. Jen is a police detective who has been secretly investigating the mysterious disappearance...

Olivia Hussey, the world renowned actress of stage, screen, and even video games, widely recognized for her portrayal of Juliet in the 1968 adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet,” passed away peacefully at her home in Burbank, California on Friday, December 27 at the age of 73. News of her death was announced on the actress’ official social media channels.

Born Olivia Osuna in Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 17, 1951, she was the daughter of Argentine tango singer Andrés Osuna, known by his stage name as Osvaldo Ribó. However, at the age of seven, she separated from her father and moved to London with her mother and younger brother, where she was accepted at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and began her career in performance. By 13, Hussey was already acting professionally on stage using her mother’s maiden name.

At 15, her career was accelerated upon Italian filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli seeing her in a...

Warning: spoilers ahead for Doctor Who's "Joy to the World."

Over a year later, Doctor Who is still defying gravity, and the show might as well make it a permanent fixture far beyond just Doctor Who season 15. Doctor Who has always toyed playfully with the notion of altering history. The Tenth Doctor's adventure with William Shakespeare found the Time Lord accidentally giving England's most iconic playwright inspiration for stories he had not yet written, while David Tennant's Doctor also invented the banana daiquiri several centuries early while in 18th century France. These kinds of references, however, have never been more than fleeting gags.

That all changed in Doctor Who's 60th anniversary specials when Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor, following in the tradition of his doppelganger, altered the course of history by bumping into Isaac Newton. As an unforeseen consequence, the famous physicist decided to name his discovery "mavity" instead of "gravity" and,...

When "10 Things I Hate About You" was released in 1999, it featured a cast of swoon-worthy young stars. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who wasn't sold on the movie at first), Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, and Larisa Oleynik were the film's core four, but the supporting cast was rounded out by actors like Gabrielle Union, David Krumholtz, Andrew Keegan, and Allison Janney, and everyone delivers a fun performance. The contemporary movie is actually an adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic play "The Taming of the Shrew," setting the romantic comedy at a modern high school instead of the olden days. It's about a pretty girl named Bianca (Oleynik) who isn't allowed to date until her uptight older sister Kat (Stiles) is taken; as a result, Cameron (Gordon-Levitt) pays the rambunctious Patrick (Ledger) to woo Kat. Hijinks ensue.

If you're a fan of the classic teen comedy, but you're getting tired of rewatching Kat recite the titular poem,...

Some movie experiences are so memorable that time flies even if it lasts hours. When the storytelling is strong enough and there's enough to say, it may feel like the movie should never end. Countless directors have taken on a project that produces an immense surplus of footage. From political dramas to historical epics, there are so many details to cover to tell the full story. But if the audience is emotionally involved enough, they'll want to stay with the protagonists for as long as possible.

Worth considering when it comes to runtime is that movie theaters today are struggling to bring people in. For a viewer to want to leave the comfort of their own home, with their own snacks and unlimited breaks, the film has to be something special. It needs to feel like an event that people will want to spend money on so they feel like...

Denzel Washington made his feature film debut over 40 years ago in 1981’s “Carbon Copy” and in the decades since has played everyone from real-life public figures such as civil rights activist Malcolm X and wrongly imprisoned boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter to crooked cops like Alonzo in “Training Day” and Joe Deacon in “The Little Things” to even William Shakespeare‘s most famed villain, Macbeth, in “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” His latest villainous turn is for the 2024 Ridley Scott sequel “Gladiator II.”

For his prolific nature and exemplary work, Washington has received numerous awards: he snagged his first Oscar nomination for 1987’s “Cry Freedom” and won his first Oscar two years later for 1989’s “Glory.” Twelve years after that, Washington made history when “Training Day” made him the first Black actor since Sidney Poitier (“Lilies of the Field” in 1963) to win in the Best Actor category. How much longer will he...

Glen Powell has mastered the art of embodying the charming leading man. 2023's "Anyone But You" — a rom-com loosely based on William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" — was a surprise mega-hit that helped fast-track Powell and his co-star Sidney Sweeney's careers. Since then, Powell has co-written and starred in Richard Linklater's "Hit Man," where the actor showcased his magnetic star power in impressively entertaining vignettes. The more recent "Twisters," a sequel to the '90s blockbuster "Twister," also saw Powell playing the charismatic lead, in this case the meteorologist and storm chaser Tyler Owens (who's cheekily dubbed the Tornado Wrangler).

Even when Powell isn't donning the leading man suit, he is unforgettable, like in "Top Gun: Maverick," in which he played the skilled but cocky Hangman, a rival to Miles Teller's Rooster. A quick look at the actor's filmography makes it clear that his superstardom is hard-earned.

Indu Lakshmi’s Appuram narrates the tale of a young girl navigating an emotional rollercoaster as she copes with a psychologically unstable mother. On one hand, it is a film about the protagonist’s grueling effort to create a comfortable space for her mother at home while simultaneously battling the prejudices of a patriarchal society. Yet beneath its surface, the film transcends themes of mental illness, and agonizing religious customs, to weave these elements into a greater purpose: a realistic drama whose strength lies in its significant insight of character study. It is essentially a thoughtful drama about suffering, salvation, and the dangerously blurred line between belief and madness, exploring the brave encounters that prepare us to view the world unflinchingly. It is also a work of visceral emotions and gentle notions, a portrait of faith in all its power, strangeness, and cruelty. The story delves into the peculiarities of...

The past decade has seen the emergence of many exciting horror filmmakers who have taken a supposedly “elevated” approach to the genre. Ari Aster has used frightening stories to examine interpersonal relationships, Mike Flanagan has highlighted the grief-stricken mundanity of isolation, and Jordan Peele has proven to be an insightful social critic. However, Robert Eggers has instantly established a tone and style that feels entirely singular. Eggers’ exploration of historical eras has yielded fantastic results, as the level of production design, visual storytelling, and breathtaking audio enhancements have been absolutely immersive.

Eggers’ films do not feel derivative of each other, as each touches on a different form of classical storytelling. However, there are common themes that have become apparent within his body of work; Eggers seems to be interested in how legends emerge over time, and how telling stories has served as a means of coping with societal pressures. There...

Brian Cox has given a frank response to one of his iconic stage roles going to Anthony Hopkins onscreen. Cox is an award-winning performer on both stage and screen. Since his career began in the 1960s, he has been nominated for two British Theatre Association Drama Awards, five Emmy Awards, four Golden Globes, and seven BAFTA Awards.

Cox is best known in the modern age as one of the leads of the Succession cast, having played patriarch Logan Roy across all four seasons of the popular HBO drama. However, he has held a variety of onscreen roles in iconic properties over the years, including playing Samara's father in The Ring, William Stryker in X2: X-Men United, CIA Deputy Director Ward Abbott in The Bourne Identity and its sequel The Bourne Supremacy, Captain O'Hagan in the Super Troopers movies, and more.

Brian Cox Shares His Thoughts On Not Being Cast...

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In 1934, the inimitable Bette Davis appeared in a film adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's "Of Human Bondage," a semi-autobiographical novel about the unfortunate loves of one Philip Carey. The 1934 film was directed by the prolific John Cromwell and starred Leslie Howard as Philip. Davis played Mildred Rogers, a tearoom waitress that Philip falls in love with, but who treats him with the utmost cruelty. It was a great role for Davis, who was only 26 at the time. 

An article in Collider points out that Davis was under contract with Warner Bros. at the time, but really, really wanted to play the part of Mildred, knowing that it was a juicy role. "Of Human Bondage" was being produced by Rko, and Davis would need WB's Jack Warner to loan her talents to Rko to work on the project. Davis...

Love stories have been a part of movie history since the first motion pictures, and while it is always nice to see the loving couple live happily ever after, sometimes romance movies with sad endings can be even more effective. Movies in which romance still ends in tragedy provide an emotional catharsis for the audience and help to remind the viewers of the love that goes on. The movie is about the journey, not necessarily the endpoint.

Since Romeo and Juliet and all its adaptations, this has been a common storytelling device and there are a number of movies that use it brilliantly. In some cases, the two characters are driven apart by society and unable to follow their hearts. Other movies present a difficult choice for these couples to make. And there are also those love stories where fate intervenes in a heartbreaking way. Whatever the case, these romance...

With many fans ready to write Netflix's The Witcher off before the next season even airs because of Witcher's struggles with pacing and plot, and many other fantasy shows struggling to find their footing for similar reasons, it's time to wonder what series the major streaming platforms will snap up in hopes of finding the next hit adaptation. One particularly ideal candidate is a series of Australian fantasy novels that will turn 30 years old in 2025: Sabriel.

Fantasy is having a bit of a moment right now, in ways both positive and negative, largely thanks to Netflix. Netflix was the first streamer all-in on adapting fantasy book series, such as Shadow & Bone, Cursed, Sandman, and others. However, Netflix has also been quick to give the ax to these same series, canceling shows even as beloved and successful as Shadow & Bone. Still, it seems Netflix is still high up on fantasy,...

Twelve seasons in and still digging. For the past 10 years, the History Channel reality series The Curse of Oak Island has documented Rick and Marty Lagina’s search for treasure on Nova Scotia’s Oak Island.

So far, the brothers and their crew have yet to turn up the mythical buried loot. But that doesn’t mean they come up completely empty-handed. Over the years, they’ve made a few interesting discoveries, which they believe could be signs that the real treasure is still out there, waiting to be found.

Are Shakespeare’s papers hidden on Oak Island?

For years, conspiracy theorists have argued that William Shakespeare was not the true author of his celebrated plays. Some believe the real writer of Hamlet and Richard III was polymath and Shakespeare’s friend Francis Bacon. The Laginas suspect that pieces of parchment and leather binding discovered more than 100 feet underground on Oak Island support that theory.

The movie musical is hard not to love as a genre, with dynamic dance numbers, moving songs, and familiar characters who fans will remember from the staged versions. Hollywood has recently embraced movie musicals, finding success with them at the box office, such as Jon M. Chu's Wicked, or Oprah Winfrey's The Color Purple.

However, the movie musical has been popular for many decades, with several becoming classics, surpassing even the legacy of their original theater shows. One of the main recipes for success in these musicals is their large music numbers that specifically stand out to audiences. For example, "Dancing Queen" in Mamma Mia! and "Carnival Del Barrio" in In The Heights, are exciting ensemble moments that paint colorful depictions of both communities in their prospective films. Whether they be large, upbeat ensemble numbers, or smaller emotional songs that move audiences, these standout movie musical moments help...

A spoiler by any other name is still a spoiler, Solo@!@!@!!@@! Ugh.

When last we tuned into Silo Season 2 (new episodes drop every Friday on Apple TV+), Juliette (played by Rebecca Ferguson) and Silo 17 mystery man Solo (Steve Zahn) bonded a bit over his recollections of novels such as Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

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Jason Statham is the star of the outlandish shark movie The Meg, but this is still not the silliest movie he has ever been in. This is on account of Gnomeo & Juliet existing — Disney's whimsical tale that takes inspiration from William Shakespeare's famous play, Romeo and Juliet. The 2011 motion picture is an innovative modern Shakespeare adaptation that retells the complicated story in a way that is engaging for younger viewers. The Meg may truly embrace the absurdity of its plot and defy the laws of logic, but Gnomeo & Juliet is not what audiences expected from Disney's animated movie.

With a star-studded cast, Gnomeo & Juliet turns a silly premise into something hilarious and extremely heartfelt. The comical overtones of the movie are enhanced by Gnomeo & Juliet's soundtrack, which exclusively features songs from Sir Elton John's legendary repertoire, connecting the classic tale to Disney's modern adaptation.

Two out-of-work actors set out to stage a rendition of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet inside the world of Grand Theft Auto in this hilariously poignant documentary. Here’s our Grand Theft Hamlet review.

Here are two things that don’t normally go together: Grand Theft Auto and Shakespeare. At first glance, the Bard’s poetic words might feel out of place in the violent works of GTA, but in Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls’ Grand Theft Hamlet, the two go together like peas and carrots.

In January 2021, while the world was still ravaged by the pandemic, Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen stumbled on an amphitheatre in Grand Theft Auto Online. Actors by trade, both were out of work, and with seemingly no hope on the horizon, GTA provided them with some much-needed escapism.

So naturally, the men decide to stage a performance of Hamlet inside the game. Crane’s filmmaker...

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Is there really such a thing as a perfect work of art? If you subscribe to the notion that everything man-made is inherently flawed in some aspect, then no -- though you've quite the uphill climb if you're looking to find fault with Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," William Shakespeare's "Hamlet," or Prince's "Little Red Corvette."

But perfection isn't strictly a judgment of nuts-and-bolts craftsmanship. It's a spiritual thing. And some works of art just feel flawless. This is particularly true of movies. Unless you're the kind of dullard who walks into a movie looking for continuity errors as stinging evidence of artistic shortcoming, you know that a movie that stirs you to the core of your being is a kind of ineffable achievement. It is perfect in every way to you, and that's all that matters.

This year’s edition of Tallinn Black Nights included a generous number of films from Asia across all sections of its vast programme. One of the titles that steered controversy due to its sensitive topic was Hou Dasheng‘s drama “Hani“, shot in the mountains near the China-Myanmar border, in Burmese and Mandarin language. The story follows the eponymous teen’s attempt to marry his love-interest – a 12-year-old girl by the name of Pushiha (Pu Juan). The wannabe groom (Gao Xiaokang), named after the people who inhabit the region, is only 14. Those two numbers are the source of many questions surrounding the plot line. Almost five centuries after William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Romeo and Juliet”, this starting point comes with a bag of problems in an era where the attempts to set an end to child marriages in certain parts of the world still occupies human right activists. The impression...

Director Robert Eggers has four feature films under his belt so far: The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman, and 2024's Nosferatu. While he has not been in the public eye as long as some other established directors, like Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, or Steven Spielberg, audiences are already getting a clear picture of the sorts of films that attract Eggers.

All four of Robert Eggers' feature films are period pieces. They also all have a folklore-like quality to them, or they feel as if they could be a legend passed down from generation to generation. This is especially true for The Northman and the unanimously praised Nosferatu, as both of these films are based on literary classics -- Hamlet and Dracula, respectively. However, neither are direct adaptations for a few reasons.

Nosferatu & The Northman Are Both Stealth Remakes of Classic Literature Robert Eggers Adapts Dracula and Hamlet In Unconventional Ways...

When Amy Heckerling scored a teen comedy hit in 1995 with "Clueless" by working from the Jane Austen's 1816 novel "Emma," Hollywood figured there might be a potential goldmine in youth-skewing films based on classic works of fiction. Gil Junger certainly found this to be the case with "10 Things I Hate About You," his high school-set take on William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," while Robert Iscove scored a box office hit with his "Pygmalion" riff "She's All That." So it wasn't all that shocking when Roger Kumble found intrigue and no shortage of sex appeal via "Cruel Intentions," his scheming rich kids reworking of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' "Les Liaisons dangereuses."

Why did the film work so well? Columbia Pictures' willingness to release the film with an R rating allowed Kumble to push much further with the sensuality. He also had an absolute juggernaut of a young cast in Sarah Michelle Gellar,...

From her feature film debut in Gillian Armstrong's 1994 adaptation of "Little Women" through the mid-2000s, Claire Danes was one of Hollywood's more visible "It" girls, appearing as the lead or the co-lead in about two dozen high-profile studio movies. In just a few years, Danes went from obscurity to the A-list. She made a habit of working with known filmmakers or associating with well-known properties. She was in Baz Luhrman's "Romeo + Juliet," Oliver Stone's "U-Turn," and Francis Ford Coppola's "The Rainmaker," as well as a film adaptation of "Les Misérables" and an update of "The Mod Squad." One cannot underestimate her ubiquity throughout the 1990s.

She might've been even more visible, too, had Danes accepted an offer to play Rose DeWitt Bukater in James Cameron's "Titanic."

In "Romeo + Juliet," Danes played Juliet opposite Leonardo DiCaprio's Romeo. The film is a high-octane, ultra-modern...

This article contains spoilers for "Gladiator II."

There's a school of thought that all modern forms of drama have their origin in the works of William Shakespeare. While the people who would claim this are most likely devotees of the Bard's works, they do have a point, insofar as the sheer enduring popularity of Shakespeare's plays has kept them relevant for centuries and, thus, highly influential. Even though Shakespeare's use of Iambic Pentameter remains preserved in amber (thus confounding generations of high school students and theatergoers alike), the characterizations, tone, and plotting exhibited in so many of his classics continue to crop up in the most unlikely of places. Heck, his play "Much Ado About Nothing" just got reimagined into a rom-com box office hit in the form of last year's "Anyone But You."

On the whole, Shakespeare's history plays are less known and less popular than his comedies like "Much Ado,...

Bobby Bedi, one of India’s most successful film producers, unveiled a powerful multinational production slate ranging from dance documentary to soaring fantasy.

Speaking at a private event on the sidelines of the International Film Festival of India, in Goa, Bedi introduced “Mudras,” the journey of a Spanish dancer who travels to India in the 1980s and finds her form and identity in a blend of Flamenco, Bharat Natyam and Kathakali. More than 20 years later, the woman’s daughter makes a similar journey but emerges with very different results.

Currently in post-production the feature documentary produced is by Bedi and Anna Saura through Bedi’s Contentflow Studios, with Bedi and Maria Salgado co-directing. Bedi described the film as “a story of two ladies, two countries two cultures and two generations, exploring dance, exploring themselves and discovering themselves.”

The company is in pre-production on “Bandit Queen MP,” a title that builds...

Something Star Trek: Lower Decks does quite well is take characters and ideas from previous iterations of Star Trek and breathe new life into them with a new perspective. In "Of Gods and Angles," we see just that.

Episode summary (spoilers ahead)

This week on Lower Decks, the Cerritos is hosting peace talks between two photonic species, the Orbs and the Cubes. Amid the negotiations, Commander Ransom and Captain Freeman discuss their issues with Ensign Olly, who seems to cause constant problems. Of course, Beckett Mariner sees some of herself in Ensign Olly and volunteers to help her integrate with the crew.

Mariner also learns that Olly is the granddaughter of Zeus. This Zeus being an alien related to Apollo, who was introduced in the second season of the original Star Trek in the episode "Who Mourns for Adonais?" Olly claims not to have powers, however, and she and Mariner are assigned to babysit Quadralon,...

Physical media collectors, take note. The Criterion Collection has announced six new Blu-ray releases coming in February 2025, including titles from some of today’s most beloved auteurs and one famously elusive late-career work from a French New Wave legend.

The slate is headlined by Jean-Luc Godard’s “King Lear,” an essential work from the “Breathless” director’s experimental period that has long been unavailable to own or stream. The film uses William Shakespeare’s tragedy as a jumping off point for a postmodern riff on art in a world decimated by the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown. While it shares little DNA with the actual play that shares its name, “King Lear” contains some of the most striking imagery of Godard’s filmography, including the director himself donning a Rastafarian wig made entirely of electrical cables. The nonlinear film is a pastiche of influences, references, and ideas that stands out to many...

It’s always fun when a villain returns to a soap, especially a wacky one. Fans have enjoyed Louise Sorel’s character, Vivian Alamain, popping in a few times in the last few years on Days of Our Lives because she’s always got some crazy scheme going on. Now, Sorel opened up about one of Vivian’s most iconic moments, which was more disturbing than funny, and how that came to be.

To Jig, or Not to Jig

As if Vivian wasn’t nutty enough to begin with, in 1993, when she was under the influence of some herbs, she had her nemesis Carly (Crystal Chappell) buried alive in a coffin that was outfitted with oxygen, lights, and a walkie-talkie. She eventually came to her senses and told Lawrence (Michael Sabatino) about it, and he quickly rescued Carly.

“I was very grateful for that and that they allowed it to happen,...