New "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" Poster - #5 - Ving Rhames

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION In Theaters July 31, 2015
Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate – an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF.

MissionImpossible.com

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Open Road and Riverstone's Deal Begins with "Sleepless Night"

OPEN ROAD FILMS PARTNERS WITH RIVERSTONE PICTURES FOR MULTI-YEAR PRODUCTION FINANCING DEAL

Open Road Films and Riverstone Pictures today announced a multi-picture production financing pact for all of Open Road Films’ own productions over the coming years. The announcement was made by Tom Ortenberg, CEO of Open Road Films and Deepak Nayar and Nik Bower, co-founders of Riverstone Pictures.

The first film under the agreement will be SLEEPLESS NIGHT, starring Jamie Foxx and Michelle Monaghan, directed by Baran bo Odar, which will shoot in Atlanta and Las Vegas this summer. Two to four films a year are expected to go through the deal, with each picture getting a wide domestic release via Open Road while foreign sales are handled by Open Road International and Film Nation.

Riverstone Pictures is a Reliance Entertainment company founded by Deepak Nayar and Nik Bower and is backed by Ingenious Media. It was formed in 2014 when it came on board to fund the John Logan-scripted drama “Genius” starring Colin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Laura Linney. Riverstone Pictures expects to finance eight to ten productions in the $10m to $50m budget range each year outside its deal with Open Road Films.

Deepak Nayar stated, “Open Road has quickly established itself as a major player in the domestic distribution market with excellent taste in material and a proven expertise in marketing and releasing their films. It was natural fit as a next step for Riverstone Pictures.”

“We are delighted to be in business with Riverstone Pictures,” added Tom Ortenberg, “A company that combines heavyweight financing from major backers with an agile, entrepreneurial approach resonant of our own.”

The deal was negotiated by Tom Ortenberg, CEO, and Elliott Kleinberg, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, on behalf of Open Road Films and by Deepak Nayar and Nik Bower for Riverstone Pictures.


ABOUT OPEN ROAD FILMS
Open Road Films is a leading, independent, theatrical motion picture company, releasing a diverse slate of star-driven films which has included multiple #1 releases. It was founded in 2011 by AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC) and Regal Entertainment Group (Regal), the two largest theatrical exhibition companies in the United States. Open Road and its lenders recently extended the company's $100,000,000 credit facility through 2018.

Current and past releases include: Nightcrawler, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, which took the #1 spot at the box-office during its opening week and received an Oscar® nomination for Best Original Screenplay, along with a Golden Globe nomination – it was named one of the best films of 2014 by the AFI and National Board of Review and top critics nationwide; the hit film Chef, written by, directed by and starring Jon Favreau along with Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Oliver Platt, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Downey, Jr.; The Nut Job, which opened to over $25 million at the box office as the highest ever opening for an independent animated film; The Grey, directed by Joe Carnahan and starring Liam Neeson, which opened #1 at the box office; End Of Watch, directed by David Ayer and starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña, which opened #1 at the box office; Rosewater, written and directed by Jon Stewart; A Haunted House starring Marlon Wayans; and Side Effects, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Channing Tatum.

Upcoming releases include: Dope (6/19/15), a critical hit and audience favorite comedy out of the Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival, written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa; Triple Nine, a thriller directed by John Hillcoat starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson, Aaron Paul, Kate Winslet, Gal Gadot, Norman Reedus, Teresa Palmer and Clifton Collins, Jr. (9/11/15); Rock The Kasbah (10/23/2015), starring Bill Murray along with Bruce Willis, Kate Hudson, Zooey Deschanel, Danny McBride and Scott Caan, directed by Barry Levinson; the Untitled Oliver Stone/Edward Snowden Project (12/25/15), written and directed by Oliver Stone starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley; Spotlight, directed by Thomas McCarthy, starring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber and Stanley Tucci; and Sleepless Night starring Jamie Foxx and Michelle Monaghan.

ABOUT RELIANCE ENTERTAINMENT
Reliance Entertainment is part of India's Reliance Group, and has a significant presence in filmed entertainment, radio and TV broadcasting, new media ventures and state-of-the-art integrated film and media services.

Internationally, Reliance Entertainment has partnered with legendary producer-director, Steven Spielberg, in the formation of DreamWorks Studios as a 50:50 Joint Venture to produce films for global audiences.

The Help, War Horse, Lincoln and Hundred Foot Journey are some of the recent films produced by DreamWorks Studios, receiving wide critical and popular acclaim.

The Reliance Group is led by Chairman Anil D. Ambani, and is amongst India's largest business houses, with interests in telecommunications, energy, defense, financial services, infrastructure, and media and entertainment.

ABOUT INGENIOUS
Ingenious is the leading independent investor in the UK’s creative industries, founded by Patrick McKenna in 1998.

Ingenious Investments is the manager of a wide range of businesses spanning the media & entertainment, clean energy and real estate sectors.

Ingenious Corporate Finance provides comprehensive advice on strategy across a wide range of transactions focusing particularly on the media and entertainment sectors.

Ingenious Asset Management provides discretionary investment management solutions to private investors.

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New "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" Poster #4 - Jeremy Renner

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION In Theaters July 31, 2015

Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate – an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF.

MissionImpossible.com

facebook.com/MissionImpossibleMovie

twitter.com/MissionFilm

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"Mad Max: Fury Road" Crosses $300 Million Mark in Worldwide Box Office

George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” Continues Its Worldwide Ride, Crossing $300 Million

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “Mad Max: Fury Road” is continuing to draw moviegoers around the globe, now surpassing $300 million at the worldwide box office. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

    “‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ has proven to be a hit with followers of the original films while also creating a new generation of fans. Congratulations to George Miller, Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron and everyone else involved in the film on this ongoing success.”

Directed, written and produced by George Miller, the feature marks the filmmaker’s return to the post-apocalyptic landscape of his iconic Road Warrior, Max Rockatansky. Domestically, “Mad Max: Fury Road” has held firm at the box office since its opening, earning $125.1 million to date.

The widely praised film is also still pulling in big crowds overseas, so far taking in an estimated $177 million at the international box office for a worldwide total of more than $302 million and counting.

In making the announcement, Fellman said, “‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ has proven to be a hit with followers of the original films while also creating a new generation of fans. Congratulations to George Miller, Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron and everyone else involved in the film on this ongoing success.”

Kwan Vandenberg stated, “Word of mouth remains strong worldwide as the film continues to gain both first time and repeat viewers. Together with our partners at Village Roadshow Pictures, we are thrilled by the response of critics and audiences, who have made ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ one of the most acclaimed and talked-about films of the year.”

From director George Miller, originator of the post-apocalyptic genre and mastermind behind the legendary “Mad Max” franchise, comes “Mad Max: Fury Road,” a return to the world of the Road Warrior, Max Rockatansky.

Haunted by his turbulent past, Mad Max believes the best way to survive is to wander alone. Nevertheless, he becomes swept up with a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by Imperator Furiosa. They are escaping a Citadel tyrannized by the Immortan Joe, from whom something irreplaceable has been taken. Enraged, the Warlord marshals all his gangs and pursues the rebels ruthlessly in the high-octane Road War that follows.

Tom Hardy (“The Dark Knight Rises”) stars in the title role in “Mad Max: Fury Road”—the fourth in the franchise’s history. Oscar winner Charlize Theron (“Monster,” “Prometheus”) stars as Imperator Furiosa. The film also stars Nicholas Hoult (“X-Men: Days of Future Past”) as Nux; Hugh Keays-Byrne (“Mad Max,” “Sleeping Beauty”) as Immortan Joe; Josh Helman (“X-Men: Days of Future Past”) as Slit; Nathan Jones (“Conan the Barbarian”) as Rictus Erectus; collectively known as The Wives, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”) is The Splendid Angharad, Riley Keough (“Magic Mike”) is Capable, Zoë Kravitz (“Divergent”) plays Toast the Knowing, Abbey Lee is The Dag, and Courtney Eaton is Cheedo the Fragile. Also featured in the movie are John Howard, Richard Carter, singer/songwriter/performer iOTA, Angus Sampson, Jennifer Hagan, Megan Gale, Melissa Jaffer, Melita Jurisic, Gillian Jones and Joy Smithers.

Oscar-winning filmmaker George Miller (“Happy Feet”) directed the film from a screenplay he wrote with Brendan McCarthy and Nico Lathouris. Miller also produced the film, along with longtime producing partner, Oscar nominee Doug Mitchell (“Babe”, “Happy Feet”), and PJ Voeten. Iain Smith, Chris deFaria, Courtenay Valenti, Graham Burke, Bruce Berman and Steven Mnuchin served as executive producers.

The behind-the-scenes creative team included Oscar-winning director of photography John Seale (“The English Patient”), production designer Colin Gibson (“Babe”), editor Margaret Sixel (“Happy Feet”), Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan (“A Room with a View”), second unit director and stunt coordinator Guy Norris (“Australia”), and makeup designer Lesley Vanderwalt (“Knowing”).

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Kennedy Miller Mitchell production, a George Miller film, “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The film is being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures. This film has been rated R for intense sequences of violence throughout, and for disturbing images.

madmaxmovie.com

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New "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" Poster - #3 Rebecca Ferguson

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION In Theaters July 31, 2015

Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate – an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF.

MissionImpossible.com

facebook.com/MissionImpossibleMovie

twitter.com/MissionFilm

instagram.com/MissionImpossible

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Yahoo and the NFL to Live Stream Bills-Jaguars Game on October 25th

National Football League and Yahoo Partner to Deliver First-Ever Global Live Stream of an NFL Game

NFL game will be distributed to fans worldwide for free across an array of digital devices

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Football League (NFL) announced today that it has selected Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) as its exclusive partner to deliver the first-ever live stream of an NFL game to a global audience across devices and for free. This partnership will bring the NFL’s International Series game in London, between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars on October 25, 2015 to Yahoo properties globally, including Yahoo, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Screen and Tumblr, which attract more than one billion monthly users.

    “We're thrilled that the NFL has chosen Yahoo for this historic opportunity”

“The NFL has always been committed to being at the forefront of media innovation. Through this partnership with Yahoo—one of the world’s most recognizable digital brands—we are taking another important step in that direction as we continue to closely monitor the rapidly evolving digital media landscape,” said Roger Goodell, Commissioner of the National Football League.

“We're thrilled that the NFL has chosen Yahoo for this historic opportunity,” said Marissa Mayer, President and CEO of Yahoo. “It marks a significant change in the way users can access this amazing content. The NFL and Yahoo have both long engaged football fans around the world. Our partnership provides the ultimate football experience—with digital availability, designed for the modern fan.”

With this partnership, the NFL will extend its digital presence, making some of the most valuable content in sports and entertainment available across multiple digital platforms free for all users. The NFL is leveraging Yahoo’s global audience, digital advertising capabilities, and delivery platforms, which span desktop, mobile, tablet, connected TVs, and set-top boxes, to ensure that the Bills-Jaguars game is accessible on every screen globally.

In keeping with the NFL’s long-standing commitment to make its games available on free, over-the-air television, the game will also be televised in the both the Buffalo (WIVB-TV) and Jacksonville (WTEV-TV) markets at 9:30 a.m. ET.


About NFL Viewership
According to The Nielsen Company, the 2014 NFL regular season reached 202.3 million unique viewers, representing 80 percent of all television homes and 68 percent of potential viewers in the U.S. NFL games accounted for the top 20 and 45 of the 50 most-watched TV shows among all programming last fall. Five NFL game telecasts this season were watched by at least 29 million viewers, up from just one in the 2013 season. For the third consecutive year, an NFL game was the week’s most-watched TV show in all 17 weeks of the season. In addition, at least two NFL games were the week’s most-watched TV shows in 16 weeks of the season.

About Yahoo! Inc.
Yahoo is a guide focused on making users' digital habits inspiring and entertaining. By creating highly personalized experiences for our users, we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. Yahoo is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has offices located throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific (APAC) and the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the Company's blog (yahoo.tumblr.com).

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Review: "Son of God" Has Power

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 24 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux on Patreon

Son of God (2014)
Running time:  138 minutes (2 hours, 18 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense and bloody depiction of The Crucifixion, and for some sequences of violence
DIRECTOR:  Christopher Spencer
WRITERS:  Richard Bedser, Christopher Spencer, Colin Swash, and Nic Young
PRODUCERS:  Richard Bedser, Mark Burnett, and Roma Downey
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Rob Goldie
EDITOR:  Robert Hall
COMPOSERS:  Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer

RELIGIOUS/DRAMA

Starring:  Diogo Morgado, Darwin Shaw, Amber Rose Revah, Mathew Gravelle, Sebastian Knapp, Joe Wredden, Greg Hicks, Adrian Schiller, Paul Brightwell, Simon Kunz, Fraser Ayres, Joe Coen, Leila Mimmack, Idrissa Sisco, and Roma Downey

Son of God is a 2014 religious film and Biblical drama from director Christopher Spencer.  The film is a follow-up to the hit 2013 cable television miniseries, “The Bible” (History Channel), from husband and wife producing team, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, who also produced this movie.  Son of God follows the life of Jesus Christ, from His birth to His resurrection, especially focusing on the time from when Jesus began his public ministry to his Crucifixion.

Son of God opens with John (Sebastian Knapp), the last surviving disciple of Christ, as an old man living in exile as he tells his story.  John narrates the story of Jesus' birth, before moving 30 years forward in the story.  The adult Jesus (Diogo Morgado) begins gathering followers, including Peter (Darwin Shaw), John, and Judas (Joe Wredden), who would eventually betray him.

Jesus' popular ministry upsets the status quo in Judea, earning him the ire of the Pharisees, the Jewish religious leaders.  Caiaphas (Adrian Schiller), head of the Pharisees, believes that Jesus is a grave threat, so he begins to plot against him.  When Jesus and his disciples enter Jerusalem for the upcoming Passover holiday, Caiaphas seeks the help of Pontius Pilate (Greg Hicks), the prelate who has command over Judea for the Roman Empire.  But are the Pharisee and the Roman part of a plot or are they part of a larger plan that that neither they nor Jesus's disciples can truly understand?

I found Son of God to be both an uplifting and a truly entertaining film.  That surprised me because I found much of the film's first hour to be awkward and overly mannered.  The film initially seems like a stiff and clunky stage production mounted by sincere and well-meaning Christians who have little or no idea about how powerful the cinematic narrative can be.

However, after the halfway point, the film rapidly grows more powerful and the narrative more insistent.  It become emotional and heartrending, but also invigorating and celebratory.  I felt the Holy Spirit move me as Jesus suffered the Passion and the Crucifixion.  [I was once Roman Catholic.]

Son of God features some scenes that were part of “The Bible” miniseries.  I only recognized a few scenes, as I did not watch much of the TV miniseries.  The acting in Son of God is a little better than the acting featured in movies shown on religious cable networks like TBN.  However, this film is not about the acting; it is about the story.

Yes, this film did receive many bad reviews from movie reviewers and film critics, but the film isn't as dull, as heavy-handed, or as preachy as some said.  Also, Son of God isn't quite a “Sunday School lesson,” as some would have you believe.  When Son of God hits its narrative stride, it is powerful and moving, and even inspiring.  Hey, the best part of this movie moved me into giving it a high rating.  This film does quite well by the story and message of the Son of God.

8 of 10
A

Saturday, May 30, 2015


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