Summer Box Office 2014: What Went Wrong?

Remember last summer, when movie industry insiders as lofty as Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were predicting that it would take only a couple of megaflops to bring Hollywood's entire blockbuster-driven business model crashing down? Indeed, there were a number of such flops last summer, and yet there were enough big hits offsetting those failures to wind up with a record-breaking summer, worth $4.85 billion.



This summer? Also a number of megaflops, but not as many successes to balance them out. As a result, the summer winds to a close with a total of $3.77 billion, down a full 22.2 percent from last summer. It's the lowest-grossing summer since 2005; adjusting for inflation, it's the worst since 1992. The numbers are so bad, they're likely to make Hollywood executives wonder: are Spielberg and Lucas's dire predictions finally coming true?



For perplexed box office observers, here's a question-and-answer guide to what happened this summer, and what lessons the summer has to offer.



Weren't there any big hits this summer?

Sure. "Guardians of the Galaxy" is not only the biggest hit of the summer (it finished at No. 1 again this weekend for the third time in five weeks) but of the entire year so far. Even so, it's earned just $274.6 million to date. Last summer's top movie, "Iron Man 3," earned $409.0 million. In fact, three movies last summer (including "Despicable Me 2" and "Man of Steel") earned more than "Guardians."



What happened to all the would-be blockbusters?

Some did as well as expected -- "Transformers: Age of Extinction," "Maleficent," "X-Men: Days of Future Past," and "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes." Others underwhelmed, like "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," "Godzilla," "How to Train Your Dragon 2," "Edge of Tomorrow," "Hercules," and "The Expendables 3," all of which grossed $203 million or less.



What about the other genre movies?

You mean like R-rated comedies and horror movies, two genres that typically do well during the summer? This year, people finally seemed to lose interest in raunchy comedies, judging by the grosses of "A Million Ways to Die in the West" and "Sex Tape." (On the other hand, "Neighbors" and "Tammy" did well, and "Let's Be Cops" has earned a solid $57.3 million in three weeks.) And there were hardly any horror movies at all; aside from "The Purge: Anarchy" (arguably, not a horror movie at all), there was just "Deliver Us From Evil" ($30.6 million) and... that's about it. Labor Day weekend is traditionally a strong weekend for horror, but this weekend's release, "As Above/So Below," earned just $8.3 million from Friday to Sunday.



Why did these movies do so poorly?

In a word, execution. Audiences found them disappointing and stayed away. It seems like make-better-movies-and-people-will-come should be a truism, but it doesn't always work that way. ("Edge of Tomorrow" got some of the best reviews of any action spectacle this summer, but Tom Cruise is still box office poison stateside, though he still does well overseas.) But people actually seemed to pay attention to reviews and word-of-mouth this summer and avoided movies with bad buzz.



Why did advance word matter?

One reason is that the summer audience contained a larger contingent of older viewers -- the ones who read reviews -- than summer movie programmers usually account for. Movies like "Guardians" (with it's all-oldies soundtrack), "22 Jump Street," "Neighbors," "Godzilla," "Apes," "jersey Boys," "The Hundred-Foot Journey," "Sex Tape," "Million Dollar Arm," "Expendables," "Chef," "Get On Up," "America," "Boyhood," "When the Game Stands Tall," "Magic in the Moonlight," and this weekend's "The November Man" (which opened with $9.4 million) were all marketed toward older viewers, or at least attracted people over 25 as a large percentage of their audiences.



Where were the kids and teens?

Aside from the likes of "Transformers" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," the young folks were expected to flock to teen melodramas, but only "The Fault in Our Stars" drew them in large numbers (to the tune of $124.5 million). "If I Stay" and "The Giver" both stumbled -- again, because of bad advance buzz.



Did star power matter this summer?

No, unless your name was Angelina Jolie or Scarlett Johansson. The former drove "Maleficent" to a $238.5 million gross. The latter helped make a $117.8 million hit out of "Lucy" They certainly fared better than male box office stalwarts like Cruise, Dwayne Johnson (whose "Hercules" grossed just $70.9 million), Adam Sandler (whose "Blended" earned jus $46.3 million), and Sylvester Stallone (just $33.1 million for "Expendables 3"). Still, the summer's two biggest movies, "Guardians" and "Transformers" -- and many more among the top 10 -- weren't star-driven at all, just concept-driven. People came for the premise and the title -- because, for the most part, sequels, spinoffs, and reboots still sell, no matter how tired of them viewers claim to be.



What lessons does this summer offer, then?

Don't discount older viewers. Get more women in front of the camera (and behind it). Most of all, make good movies that people actually want to see. (Sounds simpler than it is, granted.)



What lessons will Hollywood actually learn?

Probably none. Business is cyclical, and executives haven't stopped planning to make giant action spectacles, space operas, comic-book adaptations, and spinoffs of familiar titles, in the hopes that what failed this summer will succeed next time. Often, these slumps are followed by a call for austerity and lowering production costs and salaries, but Hollywood is simply too invested in the blockbuster business model to try those solutions. It's all Hollywood knows how to do anymore.







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The Cast of 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Recreates the Baby Groot Dance On Stage (VIDEO)

Getting ready for the long weekend but still stuck at work and wondering where your life went wrong? Well, we've got a little silver lining for you, in the form of a crummy video of "Guardians of the Galaxy" actors Dave Bautista and Michael Rooker recreating the sequence at the end of the film with baby Groot dancing. It is a delight.



The impromptu scene recreation happened at the Wizard World Chicago, a fairly widely attended comic book convention. Bautista, who played Drax the Destroyer, is spot on in Xeroxing his performance from the movie while Rooker takes some "Magic Mike"-style liberties with Groot boogying down. (Rooker, for those unfamiliar with his human visage, played buck-toothed, blue-skinned baddie Yondu.) The footage, courtesy of io9, isn't the best quality, but that doesn't matter - your heart will explode with joy just the same.



Follow Drew on Twitter at @DrewTailored .











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What Makes a Good TV Series Finale?

What makes a good series finale? Three events this week bring this question into focus: Sunday's "True Blood" series ender, Monday's celebration of the departed "Breaking Bad" at the Emmys, and Wednesday's Vox interview with David Chase, where the "Sopranos" creator finally offered an answer to the question of whether Tony died at the end of the notorious blackout finale of the 1999-2007 series.



All three of these finales, plus others of shows that went off the air this year ("Dexter," "How I Met Your Mother") drew both kudos and complaints. Some fans found these finales satisfying and others found them cheap copouts. It almost makes you sorry for the writers, who seem bound to disappoint some faction of fans, no matter how they choose to wrap things up.



Take "True Blood," for instance. (Warning: Spoilers follow.) Fans who'd been watching since the beginning of the HBO series seven years ago may have expected Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Vampire Bill (Stephen Moyer) to end up together. For such fans, Bill's insistence on having Sookie put him out of his misery (instead of partaking of the Hepatitis-V cure) so that she could live a normal life (whatever that meant) made little sense. The finale also seemed in a rush to tie up loose ends for most of the other surviving characters. (Some, like Sam and Lafayette, were given especially short shrift.) And the happily-ever-after Thanksgiving tableau (which made the vampire drama look like the opening credits of NBC's "Parenthood") that saw Sookie pregnant and living with an unseen new man frustrated those who wanted to see Sookie and up with Bill, Eric (Alexander Skarsgard), or at least some other character not introduced in the last moments of the series.



On the other hand, the finale did manage to encapsulate neatly the theme of the entire series, in Sookie's question to the preacher of whether, if we're all created by God, any of us can be considered mistakes. That's a nice way of summing up the series central vampires-as-gays metaphor. If everyone, even once-closeted fringe-dwellers like vampires, is a human with dignity and deserving of love (everyone, that is, except bigots like Sarah Newlin (Anna Camp), whose fate is to live a life devoid of hope, chained up in the Fangtasia basement, to be fed upon by wealthy vampires), then it's no wonder that the finale centered on the impromptu human/vampire wedding of Hoyt and Jessica and ended with that human/vampire/fairy/shapeshifter Thanksgiving celebration. In the end, it doesn't really matter who Sookie's man is, only that she found one without giving up the fairy powers that make her who she is.



So if you thought your favorite "True Blood" character got either shortchanged or over-explained, you're not alone. The episode seemed designed to please and infuriate in equal measure.



That's hard for fans to accept, for any series finale. We want our hours, our years, of emotional investment in the show and its characters to be rewarded in a way that honors our commitment, even though the elements we often admire about shows - how true-to-life the characters are, how complex the plotting is - mean that tidy resolutions that offer closure for all the characters are hard to come by. Maybe the only series finale of the past decade that remained true to its premise while offering closure for all the protagonists was mortuary drama "Six Feet Under," which told us how each of them would die.



Still, this past year was full of unusually unsatisfying finales, from "Dexter" (he becomes a lumberjack? Really?) to "How I Met Your Mother" (all those years of preparing for the Mother's arrival and for Robin and Barney's wedding were a big head-fake? Really?). Even "True Detective," whose next season will center on all-new characters and a new storyline, ended its first season of deep philosophizing and arcane literary references by having its sleuths stumble upon the killer almost by dumb luck rather than expert puzzle-solving skills.



It's no wonder, then, that Monday's 66^th annual Primetime Emmys served as a celebration of a series whose finale we're still talking about in mostly positive terms 11 months later, "Breaking Bad." True, Walt (Bryan Cranston) almost too neatly tied up all his loose ends before he died, but then, that's the kind of person he was. And he didn't tie up all loose ends; he didn't get to reconcile with his son, for instance. But he did free Jesse (Aaron Paul), kill off his remaining enemies, and provide financially for his family's future. Most important, he finally admitted to his wife Skylar (Anna Gunn) that he didn't turn to crime just to build a nest egg for his survivors but also because he enjoyed it. Everyone pretty much got what the fans felt they deserved, the show went out on a high note, and the series as a whole ended up looking like a classic, especially in light of this year's shows with weaker finales.



The ultimate in divisive, ambiguous finales was, of course, the 2007 conclusion to "The Sopranos," with its buildup of unbearable tension in that diner and its abrupt blackout, leaving Tony's (James Gandolfini) fate in narrative limbo. To this day, it's a climax fans argue about bitterly - which is also a measure of its success. Fans don't just debate whether or not Tony was about to die, but whether series creator David Chase ended the show in a fitting way or cheated fans out of closure by refusing to reveal Tony's fate.



For seven years, Chase has declined to say whether Tony survived long enough to finish his plate of onion rings or not, essentially arguing that it doesn't matter because Tony's story was over. Even if he lived, he'd still be sentenced to life as Tony Soprano - always having to look over his shoulder, always having to deal with his resentful family - and that might be poetic justice enough.



Wednesday's Vox interview seems to be the first time Chase has allowed the door to swing one way or the other. The article quotes him as saying of Tony, "No, he isn't" -- though it doesn't say what question he's answering (presumably, "Is Tony dead?").



If that's really what Chase meant to say, then the remark is itself a puzzler. Why break the silence now? Why break it at all? Why ruin the ambiguity he's made a point of preserving all these years?



Indeed, Chase and some of his TV critic acolytes seem to have spent the last couple of days walking back the remark. Chase issued a press release insisting that his remark was misconstrued. "There is a much larger context for that statement and as such, it is not true," the release read. "As David Chase has said numerous times on the record, 'Whether Tony Soprano is alive or dead is not the point.' To continue to search for this answer is fruitless. The final scene of 'The Sopranos' raises a spiritual question that has no right or wrong answer."



You could take Chase's press release one step further and argue that whatever he says doesn't matter, even if he's the guy who created the series and wrote and directed the last episode. No matter what he says, the episode exists, the ending exists, and it speaks for itself, no matter what its creator has to say about it. Whatever he may say now, a resolute answer to Tony's fate is simply not there on the screen. The ambiguous final shot isn't a puzzle to be solved; it's a moment whose crystallized uncertainty is emblematic of the six seasons' worth of episodes that preceded it.



TV is like life, in that sense. It shouldn't be about the ending, but about the journey. That's the way we experienced it while we watched it, and that's the way we experience it again in reruns, not with an eye toward how it will all wrap up in the end, but rather as an interesting stop along the way, to be savored and explored for its own merits. It would be nice if the end offered enough meaning to make sense of it all, but life doesn't always work out that way, and neither does TV.



Of course, you almost never know when life will end, while TV creators, if they're lucky, get a season or two of advance notice as to their show's finale date. Even so, some of them don't seem to plan well in the season or seasons leading up to the end; characters are killed or otherwise hastily written off and plot complications are either too quickly tied up and swept aside or ignored altogether. For many, that was the problem with the final season of "True Blood" (and other recent shows, including "Lost," which gave itself three seasons to resolve its mysteries and still ran out of time, or "The Office," which fumbled around its last season until it could coax Steve Carell to return for the finale).



So for those series whose finales we'll see during the upcoming season ("Boardwalk Empire," "Mad Men," "Parks and Recreation"), you scriptwriters have your work cut out for you. Plan well, but realize that you're not going to make every fan happy, tie up every loose end, or give every character satisfying closure. So you might as well embrace a little ambiguity. Better to leave fans wanting more than to overstuff them and make them feel queasy about the entire series.







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Labor Day Binge Guide: Catch Up on These Returning Shows Right Now

Fall TV will be back in a flash -- are you caught up on the shows that are about to return? We think it's about time to take the last long weekend of the summer to binge on the series that somehow got bumped from your TV routine or never got the viewing time from you they deserved in the first place.



September is coming. Thankfully, the long weekend has arrived... Here's what you need to catch up on right away:



"Boardwalk Empire"

The end of the HBO period crime drama is approaching -- Season 5 premieres September 7.



WATCH NOW



"Sons of Anarchy"

Another series approaching its last season -- don't you want to see what all the fuss is about when it comes to the biker gang? You have until September 9th to get those six wonderful seasons under your watching belt.



WATCH NOW





"New Girl"

Hey, these episodes are only a half hour. Totally doable. Zooey Deschanel and company's three seasons of relationship drama and friendship fun are a must before its September 16th premiere.



WATCH NOW





"The Mindy Project"

The Mindy Kaling-led rom-commy hilarity that is "The Mindy Project" has only two seasons. Do yourself a favor and dig in before September 16th rolls around.



WATCH NOW





"The Good Wife"

So, realistically, "The Good Wife" is more of a commitment. The riveting one hour series has five seasons to get through, but its prime binge material if you're into law dramas. A September 21st premiere gives you some breathing room, anyway. Still time!

WATCH NOW





"Sleepy Hollow"

There's only one season of Fox's delightful supernatural police drama "Sleepy Hollow" so there are really no excuses if you're not ready to go by September 22nd.



WATCH NOW



"The Blacklist"

Same goes for NBC's crime drama, "The Blacklist" -- the thrilling hit's second season rolls around on September 22nd.



WATCH NOW



"Nashville"

There are only two season's of ABC's delightfully soapy country music drama, "Nashville." Be ready to face the music when it returns on September 24th.



WATCH NOW



"Parenthood"

"Parenthood" heads into into its final season on September 25th. If you're not familiar with the fabulous Braverman family, you have about a month to get to know them and fall in love for life.



WATCH NOW



"Brooklyn Nine-Nine"

There's only one season of the hilarious Andy Samberg cop comedy "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." Find out what all the fuss is about before September 28th.



WATCH NOW



"The Originals"

Another show with only one season to get through is the "Vampire Diaries" spinoff, "The Originals." If you're looking for a new sexy supernatural show to sink your teeth into, look no further. It comes back October 6th...



WATCH NOW



"Arrow"

"Arrow" has only two seasons, and it's a fantastic ride even if you're not into comic books. Trust us.

You have until October 8 to binge away.



WATCH NOW







Photo courtesy of Patrick Ecclesine/NBC



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Who Is Doctor Strange? A Look at Marvel's Next Movie Superhero

News of Joaquin Phoenix (perhaps) taking on the role Doctor Strange is spreading like wildfire, and Marvel is looking past Thor, Captain America, and "Avengers 2" to the good Doctor! But who is Doctor Strange? If you're not a die-hard comics reader, Moviefone has everything you need to know about Marvel's Master of the Mystic Arts.

Who is Doctor Strange? Stephen Strange is a skilled but arrogant neurosurgeon who is only driven by money. A car accident cripples his hands, leaving him unable to work. Desperately seeking a cure for his handicap, he travels the world seeking out alternative remedies, until he finds himself in the Himalayas, under the care of a mystic old man, known as the Ancient One. After saving the Ancient One's life, Strange becomes his pupil and learns humility, wisdom... and a little thing called magic.



Throughout the years, Strange wields a growing arsenal of magic powers, putting him into conflict with demons, gods, and witches in this dimension and the next. Along the way, he is aided by Wong, his martial arts practicing sidekick, and Clea, a sorceress and love interest.



Who is the villain? At the risk of certain death by sneaking into top-secret Disney meetings, we can safely speculate that the "Strange" movie will feature up to three villains. The first is Baron Mordo, the first spell-casting disciple of the Ancient One who plots to kill his mentor with black magic. Mordo serves the dread Dormammu, a flaming-head-ed tyrant of the Dark Dimension. Then there are the Mindless Ones, big rocky, humanoids that do the bidding of whoever summons them.



If we could make a rough "Lord of the Rings" analogy: The Mindless Ones = Orcs, Baron Mordo = Saruman, and Dormammu = Sauron.



What is the movie about? Don't get too ahead of yourself with visions of Strange tangling with the most fantastical creatures of the Marvel Universe. Expect an origin story, as Strange learns to control his new powers. This movie will also serve as one of the tentpoles of Phase 3, the wave of Marvel movies that will follow "Avengers 2" and hope to expand upon the adventures of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth. We'll be treated to new characters, new genres, and perhaps a team of new Avengers.



What should I read? Check out the gallery below for a crash-course in everything Doctor Strange, from his magical first appearance to his current adventures.







Article photo courtesy Marvel



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Is Beyoncé Cooler Than Jay-Z? (EXCLUSIVE)

"The Approval Matrix" (sort of) answers the age-old question: who's cooler, Beyoncé or Jay-Z?



Neal Brennan argues that even though Jay-Z is "the picture of cool," he's not worthy of the title because he steps into the studio and just "goes off the top of his head," while Beyoncé works and grinds and just, well, "surfboardt."



But some of Brennan's guest panelists aren't so keen to agree with him. After all, Jay-Z is one of the greatest rappers ever and is an equally savvy business man. In the great Hova's own words, "I'm not a business man/I'm a business, man."



You can catch the entire episode on "The Approval Matrix" Monday, September 1, at 11 p.m. ET/PT on SundanceTV.

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus Facts: 21 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About the 'Seinfeld' Star

Arguably the greatest female comedic actor ever (she has the Emmys to prove it), Julia Louis-Dreyfus hardly needs an introduction.



At only 21 years old, the actress was cast on "Saturday Night Live," a Cinderella-like start for the young New York native. While the show didn't catapult her to fame, it was a stepping-stone that culminated with her landing the role of Elaine Benes on "Seinfeld" (1989 - 1998). Proving there's no "'Seinfeld' curse," Louis-Dreyfus has had plenty of success since the acclaimed NBC sitcom ended, raking in several Emmys along the way. Just this summer, she took home her latest trophy for her work on HBO's "Veep."



From her eyebrow-raising family background to her actress half-sister, here are 21 things you probably don't know about Julia Louis-Dreyfus.



1. Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus was born January 13, 1961 in New York, New York to Judith LeFever and Gérard Louis-Dreyfus.



2. Her parents divorced when Louis-Dreyfus was still just a baby. She later relocated to Washington D.C. with her mother, who remarried when Julia was eight years old.



3. Her half-sister is actress Lauren Bowles, best known for her supporting role in "True Blood." She also appeared as a waitress in this great episode of "Seinfeld."



4. Louis-Dreyfus's father is a French-born American businessman, who is the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services, a multi-billion dollar French commodities and shipping conglomerate. The actress's great-great-grandfather founded the company in 1851.



5. So, to say the actress is wealthy would be an understatement. Louis-Dreyfus is worth about $200 million in her own right, mostly from her "Seinfeld" success.



6. The acclaimed sitcom ran for nine seasons with a total of 180 episodes and earned Louis-Dreyfus her first Emmy win.



7. Overall, she has been nominated for 18 Emmys (15 as an actress) and taken home 5 awards. She has won the last three Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for "Veep."



8. She's also the only actress to net three wins for three separate comedy series: "Seinfeld," "The New Adventures of Old Christine," and "Veep."



9. Her 15 nominations also make her the most-nominated comedic actress in Emmy history. Lucille Ball ("I Love Lucy") is second with 13 nominations.



10. She's also received a Razzie nomination for her role in "Father's Day" (1997). Luckily, though, she avoided the dubious honor when she "lost" the award to Alicia Silverstone for "Batman & Robin."



11. Before her incredible success, Louis-Dreyfus attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she studied theatre.



12. It was there that she met her future husband, writer/actor Brad Hall. Hall and Louis-Dreyfus have been married since 1987 and have two sons together.



13. After school, the actress pursued her acting dreams and was subsequently cast on "Saturday Night Live" in 1982. She was the youngest female cast member in the history of the show at the time and described the experience as "Cinderella-getting-to-go-to-the-ball."



14. Hall also appeared on "SNL" at the same time, making them the only husband and wife team to do so.



15. While on "SNL," where she stayed until 1985, the actress met writer Larry David, who would later cast her in "Seinfeld."



16. After leaving "SNL," the actress made her film debut in the fantasy horror movie "Troll" (1986).



17. That same year, she appeared in Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters."



18. In 1988, Louis-Dreyfus was cast in her first NBC sitcom "Day by Day," though the show was cancelled after only two seasons.



19. Her next NBC sitcom, of course, was "Seinfeld," but believe it or not, she was not originally meant to appear in the series. The pilot episode ("The Seinfeld Chronicles") lacked a female presence, and the network demanded that an actress be cast.



20. Ultimately, Louis-Dreyfus won the part after beating out several other actresses that would rise to prominence: Patricia Heaton ("Everybody Love Raymond"), Megan Mullally ("Will & Grace"), and Rosie O'Donnell.



21. (Bonus fact) The actress's paternal grandfather, Pierre Louis-Dreyfus fought in the French Resistance and later flew in 81 bombing missions on the Western Front during WWII.



[Sources: Wikipedia, IMDb]







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Best of Late Night TV: Ed Sheeran's Stint As Annie and Aaron Paul's Bathroom Birth (VIDEO)

If you're like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don't worry; we've got you covered. Here's the best of what happened last night on late night.

Jump starting today's mini late night roundup is Ed Sheeran, who cruised on over to "Jimmy Kimmel Live" not just to serenade us with his dulcet tones, but also to give fans a sneak peek at his performance as Little Orphan Annie in the forthcoming live production of "Annie." Spoiler alert: he's flawless.

Ed also told Jimmy about the time he randomly had a sleepover at Courtney Cox's house. Oh, and the time he even more randomly ended up living at Jamie Fox's digs. Apparently he's Hollywood's resident couch surfer.

Former "Breaking Bad" star, Aaron Paul, also stopped by "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and told the riveting story of his birth. Turns out he was born on the bathroom floor an entire month early, and his mom straight-up cut the cord by herself!

So, what happened on the well-trodden stage of "The Late Show"? Mike Myers showed up with a series of adorable pictures of his kids, and he shared the story behind their unusual names. Turns out Mike named his daughter Sunday because he hates Sundays. Who knew?

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Here's Everything Wrong With 'Toy Story' in One Supercut (VIDEO)

"Toy Story," Pixar's first feature, is a film beloved by millions, but it requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. That's where Cinema Sins (motto: "No movie is without sin") comes in.



In less than nine minutes, the site breaks down its many beefs with the animated classic, chief among them the fact that the toys are never caught talking and moving around, despite being pretty reckless. The video takes to task Andy's poor spelling and handwriting for his age, the creepy sexual innuendo between Woody and Bo, and the oh-so-convenient fact that Andy always seems to leave his bedroom door closed when he leaves, allowing the toys to do whatever they want without anyone seeing them.



As for the film's second act, when Woody and Buzz are discovered by devilish next door neighbor Sid, Cinema Sins finds it strange that the boy "just happens to be at the Pizza Planet because evil always lurks at pizza-themed restaurants." There are items missing from certain shots, questionable uses of a remote control car -- and did the video mention that NO ONE notices these toys racing down the street chasing a moving van?



In all, Cinema Sins tallied 76 different grievances. While we're sure that it feels good for the site to get that off of its chest, we have to wonder if they've ever heard of the concept of a fictional film. It's not supposed to be 100 percent believable, guys -- especially when the protagonists are talking toys.



via: Cinema Sins



Photo credit: YouTube







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Horror Movie Mistakes So Scary You Missed Them (PHOTOS)

Part of the appeal of horror movies is that scares are the top priority. But sometimes that means quality comes second.



Horror movies are sometimes filled with cheesy sub-plots, low production value, and, at times, some seriously questionable acting, but as long as the movie delivers that thrill or shock you came to see, all is easily forgiven. Right? We've assembled a few on-screen errors -- from movies such as "The Shining" and "Scream" -- to see if that holds true.



As usual, all photos are courtesy of moviemistakes.com.







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Netflix Paid HOW MUCH to Stream 'The Blacklist'?!

"The Blacklist" is coming to Netflix streaming -- and the service paid a pretty penny for the rights to the NBC series.



Deadline reports that Netflix shelled out a whopping $2 million per episode of the James Spader-starring series, a figure that is "believed to be the biggest subscription video-on-demand deal for a TV series." The first season of "The Blacklist" will be available beginning next weekend, with upcoming seasons slated to appear on the streaming service shortly after their season finales.



That huge price tag is nothing new for Netflix, which also paid approximately $1.35 million per episode for the previous most expensive series, "The Walking Dead," and $900,000 per pop for installments of "New Girl." And The Hollywood Reporter notes that the streaming giant doesn't shy away from big payouts when it can claim exclusive first re-broadcasting rights to a series, including the CBS summer 2015 show "The Zoo," for which it reportedly threw down $1 million per episode. (The "Blacklist" deal does not preclude studio Sony TV from reselling the series into network or cable syndication, however; Netflix just gets first crack at it.)



So if you never got around to watching "The Blacklist" during its initial run, just fire up Netflix to check it out. Just don't be surprised if your subscription fee suddenly gets fired up, too.



[via: Deadline, h/t The Hollywood Reporter]



Photo credit: Associated Press







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'Star Wars: Episode VII' Resumes Filming Following Harrison Ford Injury

After a short break to accommodate star Harrison Ford's recovery from a broken leg, "Star Wars: Episode VII" has resumed production in England.



Entertainment Weekly reports that cast and crew have returned to Pinewood Studios following a two-week break earlier this month to allow Ford to recuperate. The actor broke his leg in June while filming a scene involving the Millennium Falcon, putting the production into a panic as it scrambled to reschedule the shoot around Ford's recovery.



While initial reports suggested that "Episode VII" might not make its projected 2015 release due to the delay, Disney and Lucasfilm have insisted all along that that would not be the case, and it appears that with production resuming this week, they're still going full steam ahead with the original release plan. "Photography is set to continue until mid-fall," EW reports, "and many cast members have continued to work this summer on scenes that haven't required Ford's presence."



Ford returns to the "Star Wars" universe along with original trilogy stars Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, though just what their roles in the new film entail has been kept under wraps. Expect more secrecy from director J.J. Abrams and co. as filming progresses.



"Star Wars: Episode VII" hits theaters on December 18, 2015.



via: Entertainment Weekly, h/t Screen Crush



Photo credit: Associated Press







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Midnight Madness 2014: Toronto Film Festival's Spirit Lives On

Since 1988, the Midnight Madness slate at the Toronto International Film Festival has catered to a boisterous bunch of night-dwelling denizens looking for something off-beat from their Fest experience. Over the last quarter-century, selections have included films from legends such as George A. Romero and Dario Argento, and early films by the likes of Peter Jackson. Midnight Madness has even been the springboard for loads of directors, including Eli Roth.



What's unique about this genre slate is that it's programmed by a single individual. These are 10 films handpicked by one very knowledgeable host, Colin Geddes. A fan's fan, he's a guy that started out as a member of those early audiences, parlaying his passions into taking over from Noah Cowan back in 1998, shepherding it into one of the most entertaining and cinematically engaging aspects of this annual festival.



Moviefone Canada spoke to Colin over lunch days after this year's selection was announced.



Moviefone Canada: How would you describe the Midnight Madness experience to the uninitiated?

Colin Geddes: It's a selection of 10 films -- 10 wild, wacky and irreverent films from around the world that screen every night at midnight at the 1200-seat Ryerson Theatre. We have horror films, action films, black comedies, a potpourri from around the world of WTF-ness. One of the most important things about the series is the audience that comes. After 25 years of this programme, the audience knows what to expect. They know that they're going to have a rollicking good time.



What do you see as your mission when picking these films?

I'm very ruthless with my criteria: these are films that need to pop in the first 10 - 20 minutes. If you've been coming to the film festival for that day, this could be your first film, your second film, or maybe your sixth film of the day! It's my mission to wake you up. It's my mission to engage you until the end of the film, to make sure that you don't nod off. These are films that often are genre films, but they're films that are doing something different. I guarantee what you're seeing within this series is something that you probably haven't seen before, or haven't seen, been interpreted, or told in this manner.



Do you have the same concerns about snagging that world premiere as the rest of the festival?

It's nice to have that feather in your cap, but at the end of the day, I'm looking for quality of film and audience experience. I'm not going to waste the audience's time or money -- if I see a film at another film festival and I think it's going to work for the audience, and they're going to enjoy it, I work my damnedest to get it into the selection. If I see something which happens to be a world premiere, kudos to the Festival for us snagging it!



Just because a director has been in Midnight Madness before, doesn't mean they have a pass card to come back with whatever. And also at the same time, I like to use the arena to introduce new talent. We have that with the director of "Cub." This is his first film, he's young, from Belgium, Flemish, very confident, has made a really interesting, visually stylish film.You have the second-time directors like the director of "It Follows" and the director of "Big Game," and then seasoned pros like Kevin Smith.



Smith is here with the world premiere of "Tusk" -- is that a bigger challenge to deal with the expectations from a seasoned filmmaker?

No, it's not a challenge, that one's going to take care of itself. Kevin's got his audience, but at the same time, this is a film that is very different from what he's done before. Let's just put it this way: the less said about "Tusk" the better, because it's a film that's really going to surprise people. The one thing that I'll say about it is this: Kevin Smith is unflinching and uncompromising in his dedication to deliver full-on weirdness.



This is going to be one of those films for a generation, where it's going to be like, dude, did you ever see that film "Tusk"? The one with the guy?" "Yeah, that was weird." It's going to screw a lot of people up in a weird way.



And the Finnish guys from "Rare Exports" are now in Midnight Madness.

"Rare Exports" was a decidedly strange and unique Santa Claus film. Here, the director reunites with the same young actor and delivers basically an Amblin-style [i.e. Steven Spielberg film] kid-power action thriller that we haven't seen since the 1980s. I saw this film last night with [an] audience and they went bananas for it. This is a film that just totally knows what it is. It's very confident with that.



Could you talk about some of the big successes that have come out of Midnight Madness, and more importantly, some of the big surprises, those underdogs that started out as the unknown film that were then totally responded to?

It's interesting, I don't try and predict because oftentimes I can have a film that I think is good, but as soon as it falls into the hands of a distributor, the life is on its own. Look at "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane" -- all of the signs of something that should just go and be fresh and really change the genre landscape, a new director, and then boom! You can even argue the same with "You're Next," where it's like OK, let's line this up for release, let's delay it a little bit, and then oh, "The Purge" came out. Different, but audiences perceive it as similar.



The breakouts or the hits, one that surprised me: "Cabin Fever." But more importantly, that director, I don't think I could have really predicted how Eli Roth's star would rise. It didn't rise overnight. It didn't rise automatically. That's one that definitely surprised me. "Ong Bak," I remember that was ... overnight we had an action superstar from Thailand. Walking into that screening, you couldn't have named an actor from Thailand.



Walking into that screening, you'd never heard of Muay Thai.

Yeah. The same with "The Raid" -- I can take pride in assembling at that point the biggest audience for an Indonesian film, ever. When have there been 1200 people gathered under one roof to watch an Indonesian film in North America?



How have you seen the audience change during your tenure as curator of Midnight Madness?

More women. That is so refreshing. In the past, it was really a very male-dominated audience experience. And now it's much more spread out across male and female, across the genders. And that's the biggest change, I would say.



Do you change the films to accommodate that shift in demographic?

Not necessarily, no. I mean, as far as, and this is going back to personal curatorial taste, films that are misogynistic for lack of a better word, or "rapey," I try and stay away from. I don't think that's smart writing. The whole nature in genre films, especially horror films, of sexual threat, is tired and old and hackneyed.



It's an easy thing to do like a jump scare.

I'm not changing to cater to that audience, but that's the biggest change that I've seen. It goes to the fact that there are fewer venues to see these films projected big, to share in an audience experience in the city. If you really love films and you really love seeing films big, the way they were meant to be seen, sometimes, this is your only chance. I mean, Rob Zombie's "Lords of Salem" -- it was the only time anyone got to see that in Canada projected.



Could you describe the crowd insanity?

Well, I think you can describe that better than I can, because you're the one sitting in the middle of it all! I just love and take pride in that audience, I take pride in showing that audience off to attending directors and actors. There's nothing like it. To see that line, single file, around the block, is something else. I have to correct the media often, it's like, oh no, there's a misconception that they come dressed up as their favourite characters from the movie and I'm like no, they've never seen the movie, they don't know these characters.



TIFF started as a community of film lovers. Would you say that Midnight Madness is the biggest surviving embodiment of TIFF's notion of that community?

I think so, I really think so.



It seems some of the audiences come just for Midnight Madness, but others use it as a way into the greater world of cinema.

Yeah, Midnight Madness is the gateway drug!



TIFF's Midnight Madness runs from Sept. 4 - 14.







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Vampires and Lycans and Reboots, Oh My! 'Underworld' Set for a Revamp

Just two years shy of its last theatrical outing, the "Underworld" series is getting a reboot.



According to The Hollywood Reporter, the vampire franchise, which launched actress Kate Beckinsale into a successful action career, is getting an update from Lakeshore Entertainment. Screenwriter Cory Goodman has been pegged to pen the script.



The "Underworld" films performed well at the global box office, raking in a total of $458.2 million. The first flick was released in 2003, followed by "Underworld: Evolution" in 2006, "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" in 2009, and the last installment, "Underworld: Awakening," released in 2012.



Goodman previously wrote the script for 2011 supernatural thriller "Priest," which starred Paul Bettany as a man who hunts vampires (a credit that should help him with the vampires vs. werewolves theme of the "Underworld" franchise). He also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming Vin Diesel flick "The Last Witch Hunter."



No word yet on when this latest "Underworld" movie will get underway, or if Beckinsale or any of the other original stars will be involved. Stay tuned.



via: The Hollywood Reporter



Photo credit: Getty Images







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Here's What's New on Netfix for September 2014

It's almost September, which means a whole new slew of titles on Netflix! August proved pretty lucrative on the quality title front, but it looks as though September it's going to blow the rundown out of the water.



TV takes spotlight this month, with the latest full seasons of "The Walking Dead," "New Girl," "The League," "The Blacklist," "Arrow," "Bones," and "Parks and Recreation" primed and ready for streaming before their fall premieres. And fans still mourning the loss of "How I Met Your Mother" (in more ways than one) can rewatch the ninth and final season to their heart's content. Ah, memories. Showtime's recently departed "Californication" can be seen in its entirety (Seasons 1 -7) as well, starting September 1. That's a lot of TV.



Movie fans have plenty to look forward to from Netflix in September, too. Sam Raimi's undersung 1998 thriller "A Simple Plan" hits the streaming service September 1, with plenty of other recommended titles following suit. Nineties Disney comedies "Cool Runnings" and "Flubber" make their debuts, while '80s classic "Crocodile Dundee" says g'day mate to your instant queue. Oh, and it should noted that Jack Black's "School of Rock" needs to be seen again, so it's a good thing subscribers will get access to the Richard Linklater comedy later in the month.



"But what about more current titles?" you ask. Well, Oscar contender "All Is Lost," dirty cop drama "Filth," touching drama "Beginners," and eight-time Oscar nominee "Silver Linings Playbook" will be streaming to a device near you, and this year's overlooked Kevin Costner thriller "3 Days to Kill" makes its Netflix debut as well.



Happy Netflixing!



Here's a much larger rundown of what subscribers can expect in September, courtesy of Netflix.



Available September 1, 2014



"A Simple Plan" (1998)

When brothers Hank and Jacob discover a dead body and millions of dollars in cash in a downed plane, they plot to hide the loot and split it later. It's a simple plan -- until things go murderously awry amid suspicion and mistrust.



"Californication": Seasons 1-7

Best-selling novelist Hank Moody battles writer's block and a weakness for drugs, booze and one-night stands while he struggles to make things work with his on-and-off girlfriend and their teenage daughter.



"Chasing UFOs": Season 1

Investigators set out to uncover the truth about UFOs, and Season 1 finds them unveiling a possible alien farm, a reported UFO landing pad and more.



"Cool Runnings" (1993)

A fictionalized account of the unlikely story of Jamaica's first bobsled team, Cool Runnings follows their journey to the 1988 Olympics. When Derice Bannock's (Leon) chances of qualifying for Jamaica's track team are dashed, he looks for another sport. Derice persuades U.S. bobsledding gold medalist Irv Blitzer (John Candy), who now lives in Jamaica, to coach him and his friends as they attempt to become a world-class bobsled team.



"Crocodile Dundee" (1986)

When a New York reporter (Linda Kozlowski) plucks crocodile hunter Dundee (Paul Hogan) from the Australian Outback for a visit to the Big Apple, it's a clash of cultures and a recipe for good-natured comedy as naïve Dundee negotiates the concrete jungle. Dundee proves that his instincts are quite useful in the city and adeptly handles everything from wily muggers to high-society snoots without breaking a sweat. Hogan's script earned an Oscar nod.



"Detention" (2011)

In this genre-bending slasher flick, a high schooler gets slapped with detention on the same night as senior prom. But plenty of other kids will also be missing the big event when a past-her-prime prom queen shows up to slay them.



"Doomsday Preppers": Seasons 1-3

The first season of this documentary series profiles survivalists preparing for economic collapse, food instability and other forms of global chaos.



"Flubber" (1997)

On the verge of losing his girlfriend and his job, a scatterbrained college professor accidentally invents a bouncy material called Flubber. The substance stands to save the day -- if the professor can defeat the many rivals who try to sabotage him.



"Girl Rising" (2013)

Nine filmmakers each profile a young girl from a different part of the world to weave a global tapestry of youth in the 21st century. From a 7-year-old Haitian earthquake survivor to an Afghani child bride, these stories inspire and captivate.



"Girlfight" (2000)

First-time director Karyn Kusama's powerful film tells the story of Diana (Michelle Rodriguez), a Brooklyn high-schooler who gets little support from her dismissive single father and takes her frustrations out on her classmates. But when she wanders into a local boxing gym, she's instantly drawn to the action. And though it's a male-dominated world, boxing provides her a newfound discipline and sense of purpose, as well as a positive male role model.



"Good Morning, Vietnam" (1987)

When his manic radio show proves a huge morale-booster, Armed Forces Radio disc jockey Adrian Cronauer gets sent to Vietnam, where his monkeyshines -- lampooning any and all sacred cows -- tickle the troops but land him in trouble with his superiors.



"Guess Who" (2005)

Ashton Kutcher stars in this remake of the 1967 classic Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? But the tables are turned this time around, as he plays the fiancé of an African American woman who's met with skepticism and suspicion from her father.



"Hinterland": Season 1

BBC police detective drama series set in Aberystwyth against the backdrop of mountainous terrain, close-knit villages, and windswept sand dunes of the coastline to the badlands of the hinterland. Starring Richard Harrington as DCI Tom Mathias.



"Hoodwinked" (2005)

In this nod to "Little Red Riding Hood," investigators uncover a tangled web of events when they're called to Granny's cottage to look into a domestic disturbance involving a sardonic wolf, an axe and a crimson-caped girl.



"Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie" (2013)

After hitting the lottery jackpot, Jay and Silent Bob use their newfound cash to become crime-fighting superheroes Bluntman and Chronic.



"Lords of Dogtown" (2005)

A group of outcasts from California's Venice Beach change the face of skateboarding forever in this 1970s tale based on a true story, written by "Skateboard Godfather" Stacy Peralta, one of the competitive skaters portrayed in the film. Known as the Z-Boys, the radical riders invent a brazen style of skating and deal with heartache when the sport they live for turns into big business. Heath Ledger, Emile Hirsch and Rebecca De Mornay co-star.



"Mirage Men" (2012)

Fascination and controversy regarding UFO sightings have been with us for centuries, but this absorbing documentary offers a disturbing new thesis: that the U.S. military has been distributing false information about them for decades.



"School of Rock" (2003)

Fired from his band and hard up for cash, guitarist and vocalist Dewey Finn finagles his way into a job as a fourth-grade substitute teacher at a private school, where he secretly begins teaching his students the finer points of rock 'n' roll.



"Small Apartments" (2012)

Franklin Franklin has a dead landlord on the kitchen floor and an investigator (Billy Crystal) questioning him. But none of this fazes Franklin. He waits each day for a letter from his brother (James Marsden) who has the secret that can set him free.



"Swiss Family Robinson" (1960)

After being shipwrecked, the Robinson family is marooned on an island inhabited only by an impressive array of wildlife. In true pioneer spirit, they quickly make themselves at home but soon face a danger even greater than nature: dastardly pirates. A rousing adventure suitable for the whole family, this Disney adaptation of the classic Johann Wyss novel stars Dorothy McGuire and John Mills as Mother and Father Robinson.



"The Believers" (1987)

Mourning the accidental death of his wife and having just moved to New York with his young son, laconic police psychologist Cal Jamison is reluctantly drawn into a series of grisly, ritualistic murders involving the immolation of two youths.



"The Blue Lagoon" (1980)

Set in the lush environs of a deserted tropical island, this coming-of-age tale follows two shipwrecked children -- Emmeline and Richard -- who are stranded for years. As the cute kids turn into beautiful teenagers, nature takes its course.



"The Unbelievers" (2013)

Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss -- the dynamic duo of science -- travel the globe seeking to promote a scientific worldview and the rational questioning of religious belief, with celebrities, professors and ordinary folks supporting their work.



"Unsealed": Alien Files: Season 1

The debut season investigates Area 51, Vatican cover-ups, Nazi-alien collaboration, presidential encounters, ancient visitations and more.



"Zero Hour": Seasons 1-3

This documentary-style series dramatizes the moments leading up to some of the most memorable historical events that unfolded in less than an hour.



Available September 2



"The League": Season 5

Fantasy football tackles reality in this semi-scripted look at a group of longtime friends whose annual hobby gives them an excuse to get together and escape their everyday lives in a blitz of trash-talking, deceit and ruthless extortion.



Available September 5



"All Is Lost" (2013)

In this harrowing drama -- which has no dialogue -- Robert Redford portrays a man stranded alone at sea, courageously battling a ferocious storm as he struggles to survive with just a sextant and maritime maps to guide him.



"Trailer Park Boys": Season 8

This wickedly funny mockumentary series follows the booze-fueled misadventures of Julian (John Paul Tremblay), Ricky (Robb Wells) and Bubbles (Mike Smith), longtime pals and petty serial criminals who run scams from their Nova Scotia trailer park -- when they aren't in jail, that is. But kudos to the lads for their persistence, even if their harebrained get-rich schemes involve growing pot right under the nose of ex-cop Jim (John Dunsworth).



Available September 6



"Kid Cannabis" (2014)

Teaming with his best friend and a ragtag group of potheads, enterprising teen Nate Norman sets up a lucrative operation smuggling large amounts of marijuana from Canada to Idaho. But the young drug traffickers soon sow the seeds of their downfall.



"Le Week-End" (2014)

Returning to Paris long after their honeymoon there, a British couple hopes to rediscover the magical feelings of their early years together. There, they meet an old friend whose perspectives on love and marriage help them recover what was lost.



"Refuge" (2012)

After Amy's parents abandon her two younger siblings -- one of them brain-damaged -- she's obliged to leave college to take care of them. While struggling to accept her dreary new existence, Amy meets a man who may change everything.



"Your Sister's Sister" (2011)

Jack, who is mourning the death of his brother, has a complicated relationship with his best friend, Iris, who used to date his brother. Their chaotic situation becomes even more tangled when Jack has a drunken tryst with Iris's flighty sister.



Available September 7



"The Blacklist": Season 1 (2013)

After turning himself in to the FBI, brilliant fugitive Raymond Reddington offers to help capture other criminals, but only if the bureau plays by his rules -- which include teaming with rookie profiler Elizabeth Keen.



Available September 9



"Who Is Dayani Cristal?" (2013)

In the oppressive desert heat, Arizona authorities find a man's decomposing body with only one clue to his identity: a tattoo reading "Dayani Cristal." Gael García Bernal portrays the unknown man in dramatic segments of this intriguing documentary.



Available September 10



"Crash & Bernstein": Season 2

Wyatt Bernstein, the only boy in his otherwise all-female family, creates a puppet named Crash who comes to life as the brother he always wanted. Now, the new siblings learn from each other as they face life's adventures together.



"Deadly Code" (2013)

Friends Kolyma and Gagarin come of age in a Siberian crime family where Kolyma's iron-fisted grandfather enforces rules that keep the young men at odds. Their relationship is further tested when they both fall for the same beautiful woman.



Available September 11



"A Single Man" (2009)

Set in 1962 Los Angeles, this stream-of-consciousness drama centers on a day in the life of George Falconer, a gay college professor who plans to commit suicide in the wake of his longtime lover's recent death.



"Dennis Miller: America 180" (2014)

Five-time Emmy winner Dennis Miller takes a look at the state of the nation in a stand-up routine that touches on health care and climate change.



"Filth" (2014)

An arrogant, corrupt cop who believes he's the only competent person in his department sees a recent murder case as a path to promotion. But the investigation brings the deluded officer into a rendezvous with reality that he's wholly unprepared for.



"The Moment" (2013)

After her lover vanishes, a photojournalist winds up in a psychiatric hospital, where she tries to make sense of her fragmented memories -- and begins to uncover some unexpected and disturbing truths.



Available September 12



"Grace Unplugged" (2013)

Every Sunday, 18-year-old Grace performs at church with her ex-rock star father, but she longs to share her talent with the rest of the world. Heading for the bright lights of Los Angeles, she soon must choose between stardom and faith.



Available September 13



"Justin and the Knights of Valor" (2013)

In this animated saga set in medieval times, a young boy slips away from his family home and begins a long journey to pursue his dream of becoming a knight. Seeking instruction from three wise monks, he makes his way to their remote abbey.



Available September 14



"About a Boy": Season 1

Will Freeman loves being immature, carefree and single, until his new neighbors -- ditzy single mom Fiona and eccentric 11-year-old Marcus -- invade his life, and Will finds his scheme to exploit them foiled by unexpected feelings of responsibility.



"Arrow": Season 2

This adaptation of the story of DC Comics' Green Arrow stars Stephen Amell as the titular character, an affluent playboy who becomes an archer superhero at night, saving the city from villains armed with just a bow and arrows.



Available September 16



"Beginners" (2011)

Oliver, a graphic artist, is coming to grips with the imminent death of his father, who, at 75, has one last secret: He's gay. Inspired and confused by his father's determination to find true love at last, Oliver tentatively pursues his own romance.



"Bones": Season 9

Socially awkward forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan teams up with intuitive FBI agent Seeley Booth to investigate crimes that have left scant evidence behind: namely, the bones of the deceased.



"New Girl": Season 3

This smart sitcom revolves around Jessica Day, a socially awkward schoolteacher who's still trying to rebound from a recent breakup when she moves in with three single guys, all ready to help her understand the ways of the world.



"One Day" (2011)

After a romantic tryst on college graduation night, Emma and Dexter pursue separate dreams. This romantic drama based on a novel of the same name checks in with them each year on the same date, tracking their personal and professional progress.



"Silver Linings Playbook" (2012)

After a stint in a psychiatric hospital, bipolar Pat has no choice but to move back in with his football-obsessed parents. While he tries in vain to reconcile with his wife, Pat meets a woman who's as unstable as he is -- and she changes his life.



Available September 17



"3 Days to Kill" (2014)

After a terminally ill secret agent retires to spend his remaining time with his family, he's asked to complete a dangerous last mission in exchange for an experimental drug that might save him -- if he can survive its hallucinatory side effects.



"The Fosters": Season 2

Executive-produced by Jennifer Lopez, this offbeat drama follows an interracial lesbian couple -- one a police officer, the other a school vice principal -- and their multiethnic brood of biological, adopted and foster children.



Available September 22



"Revolution": Season 2

Fifteen years after electricity stopped working and the world was sent back into the dark ages -- with small agrarian communities of families working together -- three companions go on a quest to uncover the truth about the mysterious blackout.



Available September 25



"The Double" (2013)

Jesse Eisenberg plays the dual roles of a timid office worker and his charismatic doppelganger in this cinematic adaptation of a Dostoevsky tale. First spotted on the bus, then at work, Simon's double may share his looks, but he's no carbon copy.



Available September 26



"How I Met Your Mother": Season 9

This sitcom details desperate bachelor Ted's epic search for his soul mate, told through flashbacks as an adult Ted recounts to his kids how he met their mom. As Ted bounces from one red herring to another, his best friends help keep him grounded.



"Parks and Recreation": Season 6

This droll comedy focuses on Leslie Knope, a public employee with the Parks and Recreation department in rural Pawnee, Ind. Although Leslie is full of energy and good ideas for community improvements, she finds herself bogged down by bureaucracy.



Available September 27



"Bad Grandpa" (2013)

In-character encounters with real folks provide comic fodder in this franchise featuring Johnny Knoxville in lecherous-gramps disguise. With hidden cameras in tow, Irving Zisman (Knoxville) takes his grandson on an offbeat cross-country tour.



Available September 28



"Comic Book Men": Season 3

Set in Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash comic book emporium, this unscripted series unveils the fanboy culture thriving in a neighborhood comics store. As employees vend various collectibles, customers reveal what makes fans of comic books tick.



"The Walking Dead": Season 4

In the wake of a zombie apocalypse that desolates the world as we know it, a group of survivors led by police officer Rick Grimes holds on to the hope of humanity by banding together to wage a never-ending fight for their own survival.



Available September 29



"Lullaby" (2014)

Long after breaking ties with his family, Jonathan learns that his long-ill father has elected to take himself off of life support in two days. Drawn in by the dire news, Jonathan returns to face his kin in an intense emotional encounter.



Available September 30



"Killing Them Softly" (2012)

When a couple low-level crooks make a dumb move by robbing a Mob-protected poker game and unwittingly bringing a recession to the area's criminal economy, a slick enforcer is hired to track down the offenders and take care of business.







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Shonda Rhimes Books a Secretive Cameo on 'The Mindy Project'

Shonda Rhimes is showing no signs of slowing down her television domination. After juggling three different series on ABC's fall lineup, the superstar showrunner is now set to make her acting debut with a mysterious cameo on "The Mindy Project."



TVLine reports that Rhimes will play herself on the Fox comedy, though just how she factors into the episode has not been revealed. Rhimes, who is a huge fan of both "Mindy" and its star, Mindy Kaling, took to Twitter Thursday to express her excitement over the gig, using the hashtag, "#dreamsDOcometrue."

Shh. Nobody tell @mindykaling that I can neither act nor appear lifelike on camera. NO ONE STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING! #dreamsDOcometrue

- shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) August 28, 2014

Kaling, in turn, used the social network to welcome Rhimes into the "Mindy" fold.

Welcome to the world of #TheMindyProject @shondarhimes! We are so excited to have you. @ikebarinholtz, be cool.

- Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) August 28, 2014

TVLine's report adds that Rhimes will shoot her cameo sometime in early September, with her episode slated to air later this fall. Will the showrunner pull an Olivia Pope and step in to handle a crisis at Schulman & Associates? We can't wait to find out.



The third season of "The Mindy Project" premieres on Fox on September 16.



via: TVLine, h/t The Hollywood Reporter



Photo credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images







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Robert Downey Jr. Declares 'Guardians of the Galaxy' the Best Marvel Movie Ever

Robert Downey Jr. and his Iron Man alter ego might be responsible for the most recognizable and beloved character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's galaxy of stars. But the actor knows when to step aside and give credit where credit is due. And that's exactly what he's doing right now with the cosmic stars of "Guardians of the Galaxy."



While talking to the Toronto Sun about his new movie "The Judge," which premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival before making a bid at Oscar gold when it's released later this fall, said that "Guardians of the Galaxy" might be the very best Marvel movie that the studio has released.



"'Galaxy' in some ways is the best Marvel movie ever," Downey told the Toronto Sun. "And it's odd for someone with -- on occasion -- an ego the size of mine to actually say that!"



Downey went on to explain how this happened: "We're talking about how the Iron Mans and the Thors and the Captain Americas and the Avengers movies have afforded Marvel the opportunity to essentially take what was a third-tier, minor, kind of upstart bit of potential from one of their comic books series and say: 'Look!' "



He then offered a crazy football analogy (as someone who is spent a little bit of time around him, he's very fond of weird analogies): " "It's like you have a great quarterback, and his brother plays for another team, and then you say: 'Look, this is their second cousin and we think he has a great arm and he should start.' And then he goes and wins the Super Bowl!"



Of course, the star, who will next perform his big screen Iron Man duties in next summer's "Avengers: Age of Ultron," has nothing but admiration for the folks who put this stuff together: "The armature and breadth of what Disney has done in their ability to put things to market is unprecedented." Aw, RDJ!



Follow Drew on Twitter at @DrewTailored .



Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images







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