"Mad Dogs" Debuts on Amazon in January 22, 2016

Amazon Original Series Mad Dogs Will Debut Exclusively for Prime Members on January 22

Hour-long dramatic dark comedy, based on the hit UK series, stars Steve Zahn, Michael Imperioli, Billy Zane, Romany Malco and Ben Chaplin

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon today announced its brand-new original dramatic series, Mad Dogs, a co-production with Sony Pictures Television, is scheduled to premiere on Friday, January 22, 2016 on Prime Video in the US, UK, Germany and Austria. Executive Produced by Shawn Ryan (The Shield), Cris Cole (The Good Times Are Killing Me), Marney Hochman (Last Resort), Andy Harries (Strikeback), Suzanne Mackie (Kinky Boots), and Charles McDougall (The Good Wife), Cole created the show based on his hit UK series of the same name. Mad Dogs follows the reunion of a group of longtime, forty-something friends—a mixture of single, married and recently divorced, all seemingly at crossroads in their lives. The series stars Steve Zahn (Dallas Buyers Club) as Cobi, Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos) as Lex, Billy Zane (Titanic) as Milo, Romany Malco (Weeds) as Gus, and Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line) as Joel.

    “The show has a fantastic cast and is led by Shawn Ryan. We look forward to customers’ reactions.”

In the first episode, Cobi, Lex, Gus and Joel gather to celebrate the early retirement of an old friend played by Billy Zane (Titanic) at his gorgeous Belizean villa. But, their camaraderie doesn’t last long as old grudges resurface, secrets explode, and their trip to paradise quickly becomes a labyrinthine nightmare of lies, deception and murder. The series is a tale of friendship put to the ultimate test. Completely out of their element, the guys quickly realize that the only way they can survive this adventure will be by having to trust one another, probably the last people in the world they should.

“Mad Dogs explores what happens when four college friends go on an exotic vacation that shockingly descends into a harrowing roller coaster that tests their mettle, their friendships and their very sense of identity,” said Roy Price, Vice President, Amazon Studios. “The show has a fantastic cast and is led by Shawn Ryan. We look forward to customers’ reactions.”

“I loved working on a comedic, albeit dark, story like Mad Dogs and know that the performances by Steve, Michael, Romany and Ben will resonate with all who have had longtime friendships that evolve and change as the years go on,” says Executive Producer Shawn Ryan.

Prime members can now watch the first episode of Mad Dogs at http://amzn.to/1PQVC2n--and beginning January 22, they can stream all 10 episodes at no additional cost to their Prime membership with the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices, mobile devices, or online. Prime members can also download the series for offline viewing on iOS, Android and Fire devices at no additional cost. In addition to SD and HD, the series is also available in 4K Ultra HD on Amazon Fire TV and compatible smart TVs from Samsung, LG and Sony. Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free 30-day trial at amazon.com/prime.

Mad Dogs also stars Phil Davis as Lawrence, Maria Botto (Soldiers of Salamia) as Sophia, Adria Tennor (The Artist) as Abby and Allison Tolman (Fargo) as Rochelle. Luillo Ruiz (Welcome to the Jungle) and Ken Topolsky (Dallas) serve as Producer, and Danielle Weinstock (Legends) served as Line Producer for the pilot. Mad Dogs is directed by Uta Briesewitz (Hung), John David Coles (House of Cards), Randall Einhorn (Wilfred), Guy Ferland (Sons of Anarchy), Alex Graves (Proof), Ted Griffin (Terriers), Clark Johnson (Homeland), Charles McDougall (The Office), Mark Piznarski (Gossip Girl), and Craig Zisk (Parks and Recreation).


About Amazon Video
Amazon Video offers customers unlimited access to tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes, including award-winning Amazon Original Series, through Amazon Prime; monthly subscriptions to SHOWTIME, STARZ, and more; and hundreds of thousands of titles including new-release movies and current TV shows for rent or purchase.

The entire range of selection can be instantly accessed through the Amazon Video app on TVs, streaming media players, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire tablets, or online at Amazon.com/amazonvideo.

Prime Video, included in Amazon Prime, enables Prime members enjoy binge-worthy TV shows including Amazon Original Series airing now such as the multi-Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated series Transparent, the breakout hit The Man in the High Castle, based on Philip K. Dick’s novel, the hour-long drama Bosch, based on Michael Connelly’s best-selling books, the Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman comedy, Mozart in the Jungle, and the comedy created by and starring Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, Catastrophe, in addition to HBO favorites like The Sopranos, True Blood and Girls, and popular primetime series including 24, Downton Abbey, Extant, Falling Skies, Grimm, Hannibal, Justified, Orphan Black, Teen Wolf, The Americans, and Under the Dome. Prime members also have access to an exclusive collection of kids shows now airing including Amazon Original Series’ Annedroids, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street and the Annecy, Annie and multi-Emmy Award-winning Tumble Leaf, as well as popular shows from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Team Umizoomi, and Blue’s Clues. Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free trial at www.amazon.com/primevideo.

In addition to tens of thousands of titles to instantly stream on Prime Video, the Amazon Prime membership (www.amazon.com/primevideo) includes more than one million songs, more than a thousand playlists and hundreds of stations through Prime Music, unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on millions of items, early access to select Lightning Deals, unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos, and access to borrow from more than one million books for Kindle owners–all for $99 a year.

About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

About Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television (http://www.sonypicturestelevision.com), a Sony Pictures Entertainment company, is one of the television industry’s leading content providers, producing and distributing programming worldwide in every genre and for every platform. In addition to one of the industry’s largest libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and formats, Sony Pictures Television (SPT) boasts a current program slate that includes top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off-network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. In addition to its US production business, SPT has 18 wholly-owned or joint venture production companies in 11 countries and also maintains offices in 31 countries. SPT’s worldwide television networks portfolio includes 150 channel feeds available in 178 countries, reaching more than 1.3 billion cumulative households worldwide. SPT also creates original content for and manages the studio’s premium streaming network, Crackle. Additionally, SPT owns US production company Embassy Row and is a part owner of the cable channel Game Show Network (GSN). SPT advertiser sales is one of the premier national advertising sales companies and handles the commercial inventory in SPT’s syndicated series as well as the Rural Media Group and DoctorOZ.com.------------------------

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African-American Film Critics Choose "Straight Outta Compton" Best Picture of 2015

The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) is a group of African-American film critics that gives various awards for excellence in film at the end of each year.  The association was founded in 2003 by Gil L. Robertson IV and Shawn Edwards.

2015 awards ceremony will be held February 10, 2015.

2015 AAFCA Award winners:

AAFCA Top Ten Films of 2015 in order of distinction:

1. Straight Outta Compton (Universal Pictures)
2. Creed (Warner Bros.)
3. Mad Max: Fury Road (Warner Bros.)
4. Beasts of No Nation (Netflix)
5. The Martian (20th Century Fox)
6. 3-1/2 Minutes/Dope (HBO/Open Road Films)
7. Chi-Raq (Roadside Attractions/Amazon Studios)
8. Carol (Weinstein Co.)
9. The Big Short (Paramount Pictures)
10. The Danish Girl (Focus Features)

Best Picture
Straight Outta Compton (Universal Pictures)

Best Director
Ryan Coogler, Creed (Warner Bros.)

Best Ensemble
Straight Outta Compton (Universal Pictures)

Best Actor
Will Smith, Concussion (Sony)

Best Actress
Teyonah Parris, Chi-Raq (Roadside Attractions/Amazon Studios)

Best Supporting Actor
Jason Mitchell – Straight Outta Compton (Universal Pictures)

Best Supporting Actress
Tessa Thompson, Creed (Warner Bros.)

Best Independent Film
Chi-Raq (Roadside Attractions/Amazon Studios)

Best Screenplay
Rick Famuyiwa – Dope (Open Road Films)

Breakout Performance
Michael B. Jordan, Creed (Warner Bros.)

Best Animation
The Peanuts Movie (20thCentury Fox)

Best Documentary
A Ballerina’s Tale (Sundance Selects)

Best Song
“See You Again” (written by Wiz Khalifa, Charlie Puth, DJ Frank E, and Andrew Cedar; perfromed by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth) from "Furious 7" (Atlantic Records)

Best TV Comedy
Black-ish (ABC)

Best TV Drama
How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)

Best Cable/New Media TV Show
Survivor’s Remorse (Starz)

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2015 Detroit Film Critics Society Award Nominations Announced

The Detroit Film Critics Society was founded in Spring 2007 and currently consists of a group of 20 Michigan film critics (as December 2013) who write or broadcast in the Detroit area as well as other major cities within a 150-mile radius of the city including Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, and Flint, Michigan.

The nominees for the 2015 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards were announced today, Thursday, December 10, 2015. The winners will be announced Monday, December 14, 2015.

2015 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards nominations:

BEST FILM

Brooklyn

Inside Out

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Sicario

Spotlight

Youth

BEST DIRECTOR

John Crowley, Brooklyn

Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant

Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

Paolo Sorrentino, Youth

BEST ACTOR

Christopher Abbott, James White

Michael Caine, Youth

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Tom Hardy, Legend

BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson, Room

Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

Bel Powley, The Diary of a Teenage Girl

Saroise Ronan, Brooklyn

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Paul Dano, Love & Mercy

Benicio Del Toro, Sicario

Oscar Issac, Ex Machina

Liev Schreiber, Spotlight

Jacob Tremblay, Room

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight

Cynthia Nixon, James White

Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria

Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina

BEST ENSEMBLE

The Big Short

The Hateful Eight

Inside Out

Joy

Spotlight

BREAKTHROUGH

Sean Baker, Tangerine (director)

Emory Cohen, Brooklyn (actor)

Bel Powley, The Diary of a Teenage Girl (actress)

Jacob Tremblay, Room (actor)

Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina, The Danish Girl (actress)

BEST SCREENPLAY

Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, Inside Out

Nick Hornby, Brooklyn

Charles Randolph, Adam McKay, The Big Short

Josh Singer, Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Amy

Best of Enemies

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

Listen To Me Marlon

The Look of Silence

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Meet "Rocksteady and Bebop" from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2"

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS is in-theaters June 3rd, 2016

Watch the awesome trailer: https://youtu.be/HeaugHGd1Kw

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New "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" One-Sheet (Dec. 9th)

13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI will open in theaters on January 15, 2016

Official Website: http://www.thirteenhoursmovie.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/13Hours
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/13HoursMovie
Instagram: https://instagram.com/13HoursMovie/

Boston Online Film Critics Name "Mad Max: Fury Road" Best Picture of 2015

The Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA) was founded in May 2012.  According to the group, BOFCA fosters a community of web-based film critics and provides them with a supportive group of colleagues and a professional platform for their voices to be heard. They collect and link to their reviews every week at a website that also features original content by members, including filmmaker interviews and spotlights on Boston’s vital repertory film scene.

By widening professional membership to writers working in new media, BOFCA aims to encourage more diverse opinions in the field. The Boston Online Film Critics Association has gathered together critics writing for publications that collectively receive over 15 million impressions/page views per month. BOFCA is present on social media year-round with members’ film articles and essays.

The 2015 Boston Online Film Critics Association Awards:

BEST PICTURE: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

BEST DIRECTOR: George Miller, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

BEST ACTOR: Michael B. Jordan, CREED

BEST ACTRESS: Saoirse Ronan, BROOKLYN

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Sylvester Stallone, CREED

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Kristen Stewart, CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA

BEST SCREENPLAY: Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer, SPOTLIGHT

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: SON OF SAUL (Hungary)

BEST DOCUMENTARY: AMY

BEST ANIMATED FILM: INSIDE OUT

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: John Seale, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

BEST EDITING: Margaret Sixel, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Junkie XL, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

BEST ENSEMBLE: SPOTLIGHT

THE TEN BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR:
1. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
2. CREED
3. BROOKLYN
4. CAROL
5. SPOTLIGHT
6. CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA
7. BRIDGE OF SPIES
8. THE MARTIAN
9. ANOMALISA
10. TANGERINE

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Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly Talk "Marvel's Ant-Man"

This Q&A was provided to the press by Disney's public relations and marketing partners.

AN INTERVIEW WITH PAUL RUDD AND EVANGELINE LILLY FOR THE HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASE OF MARVEL’S ANT-MAN

The latest evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe introduces the newest member of the Avengers: Marvel’s Ant-Man. Armed with the amazing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd) joins forces with his new mentor Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit. Full of humor and heart, as well as awesome special effects, this action-packed adventure will shortly be released on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD – complete with never-before-seen deleted scenes, making-of featurettes, a gag reel and audio commentary.

To celebrate the exciting in-home release, we talk to Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly – who play Scott Lang/Ant Man and Hope Van Dyne – to discover their thoughts on the daring heist adventure…

Q:  Ant-Man is an iconic new character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. How much comic book research did you undertake when you signed up for the role, Paul?

Paul:  Growing up, I didn’t know about this character, so I read a lot of comics before we started shooting the movie and writing the screenplay. I did a lot of research and I tried to get into his mindset as much as possible. To prepare for the film shoot, there was also all of the physical training that I wanted to throw myself into in order to feel as though I could play the part. Not only did I want to be convincing, but that also helped me feel comfortable in the role. I enjoyed being able to do shoulder rolls and flips for the first time in my life.

Q:  Does this mean you were able to tackle a lot of the stunts and fight scenes in the movie?

Paul: I did some of them; I did as much as I could do. Even when Scott is hidden in the suit and the helmet, the director wanted me to act out the scenes because you can tell when I’m not inside. You can tell when it’s me just by the way I move. However, it wasn’t all me. I had a great stuntman who could put on the suit and do the really heavy lifting. I still did a lot of the fighting, though. I worked with a gymnast who taught me all kinds of tumbling and very light parkour. It takes a while to really get it down.

Q:  How else did you physically prepare for the role?

Paul:  I didn’t eat anything for about a year and I worked out all the time. I took the Chris Pratt approach, which was to just basically eliminate anything fun for about a year. That’s a good way to prepare to play a superhero. But again, it also helped me feel the part.

Q:  How comfortable did you feel in the Ant-Man suit?

Paul:  I’m biased because I loved the suit. I think it’s the coolest-looking suit of all of them, so I loved wearing it. It was not too uncomfortable, so I’d wear it all the time – even on my days off. Something happens when you get into it. It’s inevitable. I would stand differently and I would feel different. I’d feel like Ant-Man in that thing.

Evangeline:  Even though you looked like a total dork!

Paul: Ha ha! Yes, thanks. They kept the sound stages a little bit cooler because the suit didn’t really breathe that well, but it helped me feel the part. It was cool. I would sometimes catch myself and think, ‘Gosh, this thing is amazing-looking!’

Q:  Let’s talk about your character, Evangeline. Hope Van Dyne has been praised by fans for being the biggest badass in the movie. Did you feel like you were playing a full-on superhero, even though she doesn’t wear a superhero costume?

Evangeline:  That was the most exciting thing for me about the role. While we were filming and during post-production, there was a lot of buzz on the internet: “Is Evangeline playing the Wasp? Is she a superhero?” I had a lot of questions directed my way about that, but I couldn’t have felt more comfortable or happier saying that Hope is a really capable, very powerful force to be reckoned with. She doesn’t have a superpower and she doesn’t put on a fancy suit and look dorky in it. My super-suit was my power suit that I would go to work in to be a high-level scientist and a senior member on the board of a very powerful corporation. I think that’s a fantastic example for young women. Playing the role of female scientist in a world where mostly scientists are men is a great role to play.

Q:  When the Wasp costume is revealed at the end of the movie, Hope declares: “It’s about damn time.” Did you feel like you were speaking for all womankind in finally getting this intense female superhero moment?

Evangeline:  Amen and touché. I think that there is a lot of excitement with the female audience about this character in general, and about the fact that Marvel are really, really taking female characters very seriously. Looking at their line-up, you can see that they have great intentions.

Q:  How much effort went into the creation of your feisty female character?

Evangeline: As a woman who came into a predominantly male film, I had a great time working with the director, Peyton Reed, and with the producers on this character because I could see a hunger in them to really do right by Hope. I know they want to do right by their female fans and the female audience. When I pick a role, one of the things that I aspire to is that somebody’s parent will come up to me after the film to say, “My daughter idealizes that character. You’re her hero.” That’s what we aim for, especially with this brand. We’re in the business of making heroes.

Q:  Talking of youngsters… What does your son think of you playing a superhero, Paul?

Paul:  This is the first thing I’ve ever done that they're legitimately jazzed about. My daughter is still a bit young, but my son can see it -- his friends know about it, and that's great. We were at Disneyland for an Ant-Man event a while ago and I’ll never forget the look on his face when he was watching a preview scene. As soon as it ended, he looked at me and said: “That’s awesome!” Every time a commercial comes on, they yell, “Dad, Dad, Dad!” They're so excited and I’ve never experienced that. It's wonderful to be able to share this with them.

Q:  What do you think of the father-daughter storyline in Marvel’s Ant-Man? Does it add another level of depth to the character?

Paul:  In regard to the father-daughter theme, that was the thing that I hung the whole story on. You can have a movie with amazing effects, brilliant visuals, a lot of action, humor and whatever – but whenever you see something that you can connect to that’s emotionally resonant, it stays with you in a very different way. I think that’s the key to any movie and that’s what I thought about throughout this whole film. That is what the movie is about.

Evangeline:  And with Bobby Cannavale’s character, Paxton, and Cassie [Paxton’s stepdaughter/Scott’s daughter]; I thought it was really cool that there was also the stepfather and daughter relationship.

Paul: I also think there’s an interesting father-son dynamic with Hank Pym [played by Michael Douglas] and Darren Cross [played by Corey Stoll], so the whole idea of parents and children runs throughout the movie. I think that’s the thing that’s most relatable. I think it’s great.

ENDS

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