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Why Did Ralph Fiennes Nearly Reject Lord Voldemort’s Role In Harry Potter?(Photo Credit – YouTube)

The Harry Potter film series, based on J.K. Rowling’s globally renowned books, became one of the most successful franchises in cinema history. The series, which spanned eight films released between 2001 and 2011, brought beloved characters to life and excited audiences with its rich storytelling and magical world. One of the most iconic figures in the saga is Lord Voldemort (played by Ralph Fiennes), the dark antagonist whose quest for immortality shaped the franchise’s central story.

Portraying such an iconic villain required an actor with immense screen presence, and ultimately, Fiennes brought Voldemort to life in a chilling and unforgettable performance. While fans loved Fiennes’s portrayal of The Dark Lord in the franchise, many might not know that he had initially hesitated to accept the role and was nearly going to turn it down.

Ralph Fiennes began a nearly two-hour conversation at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Thursday by addressing the important thing first: the pronunciation of his first name.

“It’s one of those funky old English things; my parents dealt me this hand with this name,” the actor — whose name is produced “Rafe” — told the crowd inside Santa Barbara’s Arlington Theatre. “I can hear my father — [me] coming back from school, saying, ‘People keep saying it’s Ralph, it’s Ralph.’ And my father said, ‘No, they’re wrong.'”

Fiennes was honored with the festival’s outstanding performer of the year award, and sat down with The Hollywood Reporter‘s Scott Feinberg for a look back at his long career. The conversation began with a discussion of Fiennes’ discovery of his love of acting and his big break in Wuthering Heights, which caught Steven Spielberg’s attention as he was casting 1993’s Schindler’s List.

In contemporary times, there is no filmmaker who does horror as well as Robert Eggers. With films rooted deeply in history, mythology, and folklore, Eggers brilliantly plunges into the depths of history and horror to bring about the most bone-chilling experience. After giving us an impeccable horror film with Nosferatu, the filmmaker is going into the eerie depths of 13th-century England, to bring an even more terrifying film: Werwulf.

Robert Eggers via Moviefone / Credits: YouTube

A werewolf horror project, the filmmaker has written it along with Sjón, with whom he previously collaborated on The Northman. If his past work is any indication, Werwulf is bound to be a harrowing, mud-soaked, and unsettling descent into the world of the supernatural. While not much has been revealed about Eggers; next epic, the question remains who will be perfect enough for the film?

Eggers has a keen eye for casting actors who can balance intensity,...

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

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

In our photo gallery,...

Luca Guadagnino is reportedly talking to Warner Bros about bringing Stanley Kubrick’s unrealised Aryan Papers to the screen.

Luca Guadagnino seems to love being linked to various projects, as it’s not uncommon for the filmmaker to airily throw out the title of a new film that he is (or sometimes is no longer) attached to. At the tail end of last year, he was attached to a comic book adaptation of Sgt Rock, while just last month he played down the long-standing rumour that he’d be tackling a remake of American Psycho starring Austin Butler.

This is all par for the course for Guadagnino, though, who has previously talked up (or down) connections to other projects such as Lord Of The Flies, Scarface, Separate Rooms and an Audrey Hepburn biopic. As it stands, at least two of those projects (the Hepburn one and the Scarface remake) are...

Composer John Williams is one of the most beloved creative figures in Hollywood as evidenced by his 54 Oscar nominations, which make him the second most nominated individual in the history of the awards, behind Walt Disney with 59. But even though he constantly racks up nominations, you might be surprised how rarely he wins. We’ve compiled every single one of his career nominations. Scroll down to see every single one of them, many directed or produced by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

Williams’ Oscar wins were for Best Score Adaptation/Original Song Score for “Fiddler on the Roof” (1971) and then four for Best Original Score: “Jaws” (1975), “Star Wars” (1977), “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) and “Schindler’s List” (1993). After “Schindler’s” he racked up more than 20 additional noms but didn’t win any of them.

To be fair, most artists in any discipline would be the envy of their field if they had that many Oscars.

Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, the wife-and-husband producers who have 13 Oscar nominations and an Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award between them, will be honored at the Oscar Wilde Awards next month.

The 19th annual event is scheduled for Feb. 27, three days before the Academy Awards, at the historic Ebell theater in Los Angeles. Actors John C. Reilly and Éanna Hardwicke will be saluted as well.

Also new to the lineup is Will Ferrell, who will introduce Reilly and hand him his trophy. The pair, of course, have co-starred in such films as Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Step Brothers (2008) and Holmes & Watson (2018).

Created by the US-Ireland Alliance, the Oscar Wilde Awards celebrate the work of those from Ireland — and some who are not — who contribute to film, television and music. (Kennedy, with eight Oscar noms, and Marshall, with five, are Californians born in Berkeley and Glendale, respectively.

For a long time, the going rate of commercial box office success has dictated the career trajectory of directors in Hollywood. But for an icon like Steven Spielberg, greatness is an inherent quality that has defined his creative streak ever since he learned how to hold a camera as a teenage boy.

Jaws (1975) [Credit: Universal Pictures]

Starting from his 20s, Spielberg went on to deliver hit after hit every single time he picked a project. His career birthed such classics as Jaws, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and Saving Private Ryan. Without the magic that Spielberg brings to cinema, Hollywood would have never achieved its true potential.

Steven Spielberg was a victim of self-doubt Jaws feat. Steven Spielberg and Bruce the Shark [Picture Credits: Bill Butler and Louis Goldman, Courtesy of Universal Pictures]

While starting off in the industry, a wide-eyed 20-something Steven Spielberg was ready to take any job,...

If E.T. were made today, I have absolutely no doubt at all that it'd not only get a sequel, but we'd probably get an E.T. cinematic universe full of movies and TV shows. Even back in 1982 when the movie came out, breaking all box office records, director Steven Spielberg had to fight to stop a sequel from being made. He simply didn't believe that a follow-up to the beloved film was necessary, a point of view that I can absolutely rally behind!

So why, all of a sudden, are we talking about a proposed E.T. sequel, all these decades later? Well, Spielberg recently appeared at TCM Classic Film Festival in New York, where he was asked to recall the proposed sequel that never happened.

“I just did not want to make a sequel,” Spielberg said, per The Hollywood Reporter. He went on to admit that he didn't...

We live in an age of biopics, and musicians are an unusually common theme that dominates that genre. In recent years, we've seen biographical dramatizations of Elton John ("Rocket Man"), Elvis Presley ("Elvis"), and Amy Winehouse ("Back to Black"). As of this writing, the most recent entry to the musical biopic genre is "A Complete Unknown," where Timothée Chalamet channels what can only be described as a "pretty good" iteration of Bob Dylan. The cascade of musically-infused biographies won't slow down any time soon, either. We've got projects on Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Louis Armstrong, and The Beatles (among many others) on tap for the next few years.

The barrage of pop chart biopics begs the question, which one is the best? Is there a biopic of a musician that is considered better than all the rest? The answer, according to IMDb, is yes. In fact, there is one film...

There are only so many directors in the annals of cinema who audiences know by name. Yes, movie buffs can rattle off the names of plenty of filmmakers, from Guillermo del Toro to David Lean and many, many others in between. But for regular audience members, there's only a few who earn the same name recognition of big-deal movie stars. Currently, there may only be four: Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino, and Martin Scorsese. Think all you like about these auteurs, but they've made so many excellent, memorable, iconic films that audiences know their work and their names so well you can just list out their surnames. 

However, due to the fact that all of these men continue to make films in the era of review aggregation online, and because there are so many critics from which to select when you visit sites like Metacritic or Rotten Tomatoes, it's...

The Writers Guild of America announced the nominations for their annual awards last week and Netflix films and television shows were well-represented. The WGA, both East and West Coast chapters, are comprised of working writers across the spectrum of filmed scripted genres. It has been around for almost 100 years and has been handing out awards for excellence since 1948.

Amongst writers, it is considered the highest of honors.

Here are the Netflix programs that have been nominated for awards for the past year. Many are likely among your favorites.

Netflix gets eight Writer's Guild of America nominationsAdapted Screenplay – Richard Linklater and Glen Powell for Hit Man

Linklater has been one of the most important independent filmmakers in the USA since writing and directing Slacker in 1990. His other credits include Dazed and Confused, the Before Sunrise trilogy, and Boyhood. His screenplays for Before Sunset, Before Midnight, and Boyhood were each previously nominated...

Ryan Gosling is headed to the great galaxy far, far away.

The three-time Oscar nominee is in negotiations to topline the Star Wars feature project that will be directed by Deadpool & Wolverine filmmaker Shawn Levy.

Details on any Star Wars project are harder to acquire than plans for an orbital planet killer, and this one is no exception. Levy has been developing his Star Wars feature since 2022 and Jonathan Tropper, who collaborated with Levy on films such as This Is Where I Leave You and The Adam Project, has been working on a script for over a year. Levy is also producing the feature via his 21 Laps banner, joining Star Wars stewards Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm.

It is unclear when Levy’s project is set. Star Wars stories have run the gamut of hundreds of years, detailing the goings-on of a galactic republic-turned-dictatorship-turned-rebellion. It’s also unclear if it concerns Jedis and their enemies,...

A critically acclaimed 2014 historical drama climbed streaming charts following a related national holiday, becoming a success just one day later. Historical dramas have depicted plenty of important events throughout history, many of which are real events that had an important impact on the world. Some of the best historical drama movies of all time include Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List, Mel Gibson's Braveheart, and some reflecting more modern events, such as Black Hawk Down. These films have stood the test of time as important parts of film history as a whole.

However, there have also been movies about particular instances in American history that have proven to be important and timely. This includes stories about civil rights, everything from the 2013 biopic 12 Years a Slave, to the 2013 drama Lee Daniels' The Butler. These films underscore the regrettable elements of the United States' history, but continue to resonate because of...

Hollywood has never been easy for rising stars—but the industry has been particularly difficult for the ones who come from a diverse background. Take for example Eva Longoria, who opened up about facing troubles with individuality in Hollywood.

Eva Longoria on The Today Show | image: YouTube

According to the actress as she appeared to be a Latina, but carried an American accent, it became difficult for her to land roles in the industry. Well, it sounds quite the opposite of what Sofía Vergara has faced in the entertainment industry due to her strong Colombian accent.

Eva Longoria struggled in Hollywood for her lack of accent

With roles ranging from television shows like Desperate Housewives to films like John Wick, Eva Longoria has been a Hollywood staple for over two decades. Therefore, looking back at her career since the late 90s, the actress opened up about the struggles she faced...

The twice-delayed announcement of nominations for the 97th Academy Awards is finally coming Thursday. While many communities remain evacuated or in recovery mode due to the deadly Los Angeles area wildfires — and nerves remain shot everywhere — the industry is allowing itself a moment to once again contemplate the Oscars.

For Best Actor there is a strong field of contenders, with one clear standout (at the moment). But four of the five slots look to be safely locked up. That said, there are always challengers on the bubble and long shots well worth considering. So let’s consider them all.

Locks

Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) — 39/20 odds

Brody has a lock on a nomination and — after winning the Golden Globe for his role as László Tóth, a fictional Hungarian Jewish architect subjected to the horrors of the Buchenwald death camp in World War II — has leapfrogged to the top of nearly everyone’s list.

When Will Edward Berger & Ralph Fiennes’ Conclave Hit Indian Screens? (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Academy Award-winning director Edward Berger’s highly anticipated movie Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes in the lead role, is all set to hit the Indian screens on January 31, 2024. The character-driven thriller is based on the best-selling novel by Robert Harris and explores one of the world’s most mysterious and sacred events: the election of a new Pope.

Two-time Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes, known for notable works in films like Schindler’s List and The English Patient, leads the movie as Cardinal Lawrence. He delivers a commanding performance as a conflicted figure at the center of the secretive process of the Pope’s selection. Speaking about what drew him to the role, Fiennes said, “The script is a great read. It’s full of manipulative, rather dark figures doing dubious things. There’s ambition and corruption, but it goes deeper than political machinations.

The fictional Jerry Seinfeld has never been particularly lucky in love. Sure, he dated plenty of women throughout the show's nine seasons, but he didn't exactly have long-lasting, meaningful relationships with any of them. His closest female relationship is with his ex-girlfriend and ever-present friend Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), which is kind of refreshingly open-minded for a guy like Jerry, but that means there just weren't very many long-term girlfriend guest roles on "Seinfeld." In fact, Seinfeld's longest onscreen romance lasted for just four episodes, and it was with Rachel (Melanie Smith), who made out with him during a screening of "Schindler's List" and absolutely horrified Seinfeld's nearby nemesis, Newman (Wayne Knight). While she's not the most memorable of Seinfeld's girlfriends because she's at least somewhat normal, Smith gives a good performance and manages to hold her own alongside some of TV's funniest comedians of the '90s. 

Maybe it was...

Ralph Fiennes plays one of the most menacing characters in film history in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List and, despite the evil of the character, Fiennes could not refuse the part. Arguably one of the greatest movies of Steven Spielberg's vaunted career, Schindler's List is a historical drama based on the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist whose efforts during the Holocaust saved more than 1000 Polish-Jewish refugees. Released back-to-back with Jurassic Park, Schindler's List showed that Spielberg had not lost his sense of drama for spectacle.

Spielberg shopped the movie around to several directors before determining that if he wanted the story made, he would need to do it himself (via SlashFilm). Spielberg didn't take a salary for the film, considering it, "blood money". As a Jewish man, the story was obviously a personal one for him, and the harrowing, unblinking movie effectively puts audiences in the hopeless...

Unlike last year, there isn’t a clear favorite to win the Best Actor category at the 97th Academy Awards, making it a healthy and interesting competition. There were some incredible performances that were duly appreciated in cinemas this year. When the Academy announces its list of nominees on January 17, 2025, five out of these nine actors will probably make it to the final selection.

Adrien Brody as László Tóth in The Brutalist | Credits: A24

FandomWire’s predictions factor in performers who have already caught the Academy’s attention after their Golden Globes and SAG nominations. Among our frontrunners are a first-time nominee, a previous Oscar winner in the category, and an actor who received the nod last year as well.

FandomWire’s predicted nominees for Best Actor Sebastian Stan as Edward Lemuel / Guy Moratz in The Different Man | Credits: A24

Two of the Golden Globe winners, both in the drama and musical/comedy category,...

It remains to be seen if any female directors earn a nomination for Best Director at the Oscars in 2025. The Best Director Oscar has been a part of the annual Academy Awards ceremony since the event began in 1929, though in the first year it was presented as a pair of awards split between the "Comedy" and "Drama" categories. Although the Academy Awards present prizes in a wide - and growing - variety of categories, Best Director is considered one of the "Big Five" awards, a group that also includes the Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay Oscars.

Over the years, a number of notable filmmakers have won the award, including Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Billy Wilder, Ang Lee, and Frank Capra. At the time of writing, the nominees for the 2025 Best Director Oscar are unknown. Because of delays amid the Los Angeles wildfires, deliberation was delayed by two days,...

Liam Neeson has had quite an interesting career over the last few decades. Early in his career, he became an Oscar-nominated actor, recognized for his work in the leading role in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List. He has also received Golden Globe nominations for Michael Collins and Kinsey. As such, many of his works have been critically acclaimed, including Everest, Widows, Husbands and Wives, Ponyo, and Batman Begins. Thus, Neeson is a well-respected and acclaimed actor of his generation.

However, Neeson's career has also been saturated with action movies that are poorly reviewed, including Blacklight, Taken 3, and Men in Black: International. In addition, many of his films have disappointed at the box office. Despite receiving positive reviews, the pre-covid Ordinary Love made less than $1 million at the worldwide box office. His recent 2024 film Absolution also struggled at the box office, getting just $3.4 million. However, another 2024 movie starring Neeson is...

We present our interviews for the new take on William Tell from the film’s UK Premiere. The film stars Claes Bang, Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham, Academy-Award nominee Jonathan Pryce and Academy-Award winner Ben Kingsley.

Written by Nick Hamm, adapted from Friedrich Schiller’s world-renowned classical play. The narrative unfolds in the 14th Century amidst the waning days of the Holy Roman Empire where Europe’s nations fiercely vie for supremacy and the ambitious Austrians, desiring more land, encroach upon Switzerland, a serene and pastoral nation.

The film is in cinemas from the 17th of January, 2025. Colin Hart and Abigail Shii were on the red carpet, here are their interviews.

William Tell UK Premiere Interviews

The post William Tell UK Premiere Interviews: Claes Bang, Ellie Bamber, Emily Beecham, Connor Swindells & more appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Liam Neeson's airplane action thriller from the director of Carry-On has become a global Netflix hit. Though the Irish actor rose to prominence for his performance in Steven Spielberg's acclaimed Holocaust drama Schindler's List, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, Neeson redefined himself as an action star with the Taken movies. Some of his other action movies include The A-Team, The Grey, Wrath of the Titans, A Walk Among the Tombstones, and Cold Pursuit.

Within the action genre, Neeson has collaborated with director Jaume Collet-Serra numerous times. To date, Neeson has starred in four films from the director – Unknown, Non-Stop, Run All Night, and The Commuter – all of which are action thrillers that received mixed reviews from critics, but were mostly box-office successes. Jaume Collet-Serra's latest action thriller is Netflix's Carry-On, which stars Taron Egerton as a Tsa agent who is blackmailed into allowing...

Quentin Tarantino is known for his gritty dialogues, over-the-top characters, non-linear storytelling, and geeky cinema references that only an avid movie lover like Tarantino himself could think to infuse into his storytelling. As Tarantino’s reputation grows as a filmmaker, he is widely regarded as one of the key practitioners of postmodernism in cinema. Postmodernity advocates the rejection of the grand narrative and asserts a subjective truth. In the context of 2009’s “Inglourious Basterds,” Tarantino masterfully creates this subjective truth by altering the historical events of the Second World War, offending some fans and critics who viewed it as a sick joke or a form of Holocaust denial.

We all know the evil of the Nazis and the horrors of the Holocaust in the context of history. But Tarantino allows himself to dissect the grand narrative of events and crafts a new truth, presenting a cool “Jewish vengeance” story rather...

Schwarzenegger. Stallone. Van Damme. Gibson. Snipes. Ford. When you make a list of the most popular action heroes of all time, there’s another name that needs to be added to that list – Liam Neeson. Over the last sixteen years, he’s headlined a neverending series of action thrillers that have propelled him to a much higher echelon of fame than he’d ever been on before, with him only ever becoming an action star once he was fifty-six. Ultimately, it was all due to a low-budget, European-financed action flick, which came very close to going direct-to-video and reached theatres in Europe a full year before it opened in North America. That movie is Taken, and we’re going to tell you how it revitalized the career of a man who – at the time – was generally considered a top-tier character actor with limited box office appeal. That’s right – it...

Most counterterrorism movies solely focus on the reality of life for American soldiers. Rather than focusing on the impact of the war on the many civilians living in war-torn countries, they showcase one-off scenes that feature the deaths of key terrorists. If civilians die along the way, they are not necessarily always shown or lingered on. The primary focus is, generally, on the American troops themselves.

Focusing solely on past conflicts can prevent viewers from imagining the more modern reality of warfare

Some movies do buck that trend. Schindler’s List (1993) focused entirely on civilian casualties and victims of the Holocaust, while Grave Of The Fireflies (1988) was a Studio Ghibli movie that depicted the horror of life as a Japanese civilian after World War II. The Chinese-made Men Behind The Sun (1988) also depicted life in China under Japanese occupation and the depraved suffering that the civilians faced. Few blockbuster Hollywood movies or shows,...

As one of the most acclaimed movies of all time, there are always plenty of viewers curious about where they can watch Schindler's List. Director Steven Spielberg's critically acclaimed historical drama is a haunting vision of the horrors of the Holocaust, as well as one man's effort to save as many lives as possible. Liam Neeson stars as the Nazi industrialist-turned-humanitarian Oskar Schindler, with Ben Kingsley as his account Itzhak Stern, and Ralph Fiennes as the formidable concentration camp commandant Amon Göth.

Though Spielberg was already a renowned filmmaker in Hollywood thanks to movies like Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, this was a monumental achievement in his career. Schindler's List earned Spielberg his first Best Director Oscar while winning seven other Oscars, including Best Picture. Despite being a three-hour black-and-white drama, the film was also a box office success, earning over $300 million and still...

Liam Neeson has been in a wide range of projects. On the one hand, he is a prominent actor in the action film world. He led the Taken franchise, where he played a father in desperate search of his kidnapped daughter. His two most recent films have also been action-based, including Absolution and In the Land of Saints and Sinners. The actor is known for his intensity in roles like this, making him a well-suited lead for high-octane action.

On the other hand, Neeson has also been a part of a number of award-winning movies. He was nominated for an Oscar for his lead role in Schindler's List, a movie that has been regarded as one of Spielberg's best. He also took part in The Dark Knight trilogy, films that are regularly regarded among the best comic book adaptation films of all time. Neeson treats drama with the same...

To kick off 2025, Netflix has added a new slate of films to its streaming library, highlighted by Dune: Part Two. Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi blockbuster, which Consequence named the fourth best film of 2024, is streaming on the service as of January 1st.

Dune: Part Two, which stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and more, remains available to stream on Max. The first Dune movie can also be streamed on both Netflix and Max. Additionally, both films are available to purchase together in 4K Uhd.

Other new titles available to stream on Netflix as of January 1st include Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire; Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga; Horizon: An American Saga: Chapter 1; The Watchers; Inception; Meet the Parents and its sequels Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers; Apollo 13; Love Actually; Schindler’s List; the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy; Rush Hour franchise; and Bruce Almighty.

Philomena Cunk asking the big questions; the return of one of film history’s greatest villains; the start of a groundbreaking rights deal for live wrestling; an epic Western drama that captures the brutality of the American frontier; Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz headlining a spy caper; and Gabriel Basso returning to his breakout role are some of the highlights among the new films and series hitting Netflix in January.

On Jan. 2, we will see the welcome return of Philomena Cunk on Netflix, perhaps the world’s greatest investigative reporter who is simultaneously the worst informed person on TV. Born from the mind of Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker, deadpan queen Diane Morgan stars once more as Cunk in Cunk on Life, a follow-up mockumentary series to Cunk on Earth and Cunk on Britain. In Cunk on Life, once again Cunk asks absurdist, baffling and genuinely hilarious questions about the...

One of Liam Neeson's worst movies has become a global Netflix hit two years after its release. Beginning his film career in 1978, the Irish actor broke through with his portrayal of Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's acclaimed Holocaust drama Schindler's List in 1993, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. From there, Neeson took on several roles in blockbuster movies, including Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Ra's al Ghul in Batman Begins, and Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia trilogy.

However, starting in 2009, Neeson established himself as a prominent action star with roles in the Taken movies, The A-Team, The Grey, Wrath of the Titans, and Cold Pursuit. He's collaborated multiple times with director Jaume Collet-Serra, starring in four of his action films – Unknown, Non-Stop, Run All Night, and The Commuter. Even as he's expressed interest in retiring from the genre,...

Once upon a time, in the years before 2009 when "Taken" somehow took cinemas by storm, Liam Neeson used to act in all different kinds of movies. Before "Taken" and its many sequels, Neeson starred in movies ranging from the ultra-saccharine Christmas romantic comedy "Love Actually" to genre fare like "The Haunting" remake and "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace." He played Jean Valjean in the 1998 adaptation of "Les Misérables" and brought numerous historical figures to life, including Irish Republican Army founder Michael Collins, 18th-century Scottish highlander Rob Roy, and German industrialist and humanitarian Oskar Schindler. 

Unfortunately, since "Taken," Neeson pretty much only stars in action thrillers, like his absolutely abysmal 2022 movie "Blacklight," which is currently the prolific actor's lowest Rotten Tomatoes score. He starred in plenty of great films before that, however, including one of director Steven Spielberg's best movies: the multiple Academy Award-winning "Schindler's List." It should...

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This January, Netflix is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the highly anticipated second season of The Night Agent to an action comedy film titled Back in Action. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Netflix this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the seven best films that are coming to Netflix in January 2025 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

Apollo 13 (January 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96% Credit – Universal Pictures

Apollo 13 is a docudrama film directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay co-written by William Broyles Jr. and Al Reinert. Based on the 1995 non-fiction book Lost Moon by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kruger, the 1995 film follows astronauts Lovell, Haise, and Swigert as they find themselves stranded on the moon after...

Ralph Fiennes has had an extremely varied career throughout the years. He made his debut on television in 1991, playing the role of Michael in the TV series Prime Suspect. A year later, he also played the key role of Heathcliff in the 1992 adaptation of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. Since then, he has played in both dramatic and comedy roles, including parts in Schindler's List, Quiz Show, and the Wes Anderson movie The Grand Budapest Hotel. Fiennes has been nominated for two Oscars, the first for his supporting role in Schindler's List and the second for The English Patient.

This year, Fiennes seems likely to score an Oscar nomination again with his part in Conclave. Conclave is an Edward Berger-directed film about Cardinal Lawrence, who has to lead the Vatican's search for a new pope. The movie has been getting good reviews, and has spurred discussion of Fiennes...

Ralph Fiennes' new mystery-thriller with a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score, and is a serious Oscar contender, has become a streaming success. The English actor, widely considered one of the most famous and beloved thespians in all of Britain, is perhaps best known to audiences for his portrayal of the primary antagonist, Lord Voldemort, in the Harry Potter movies. Fiennes has also played M in Daniel Craig's James Bond movies – Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die.

In addition to appearing in major film franchises, Fiennes has also received many accolades over his career. For his portrayal of the Nazi war criminal Amon Göth in Steven Spielberg's Holocaust drama Schindler's List, Fiennes earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. A few years later, his performance as Count Almásy in The English Patient earned him another Academy Award nomination, this time for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Now,...

1993 was a banner year for Steven Spielberg, but his journey to making Jurassic Park and Schindler's List in the same year began a decade earlier. Spielberg was celebrating the success of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial when he was approached to adapt the true story of Schindler's List. Spielberg initially did not feel mature enough as a filmmaker to tackle the "gravitas of the subject matter, morally or cinematically" (via THR). A decade later, after making more "adult" movies, Spielberg, as a Jewish filmmaker, was disturbed by the rise of Holocaust denialism and felt ready to make Schindler's List.

Universal agreed to produce Schindler's List as a package with Jurassic Park, so, in a way, Jurassic Park saved Schindler's List. However, Spielberg overlapped post-production of Jurassic Park with pre-production for Schindler's List. Universal did not want Spielberg to work on both projects simultaneously, but Spielberg worked out a secret deal with his Indiana Jones collaborator,...

With a 200-minute running time, Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” (A24) isn’t unique among wide-release English-language films. In fact, it’s somewhat shorter than some major releases in recent decades.

There’s no standard for intermissions, which can vary between presentations, technical issues, or even elevating a film’s prestige. “The Brutalist” qualifies on all counts, but its intermission could herald a comeback: Audience habits have changed, and directors would love to use them to defend longer movies.

“The Brutalist” becomes 215 minutes start to finish with its precisely timed 15-minute break. Without it, it would be nine minutes shorter than “The Irishman”; about the same as “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “The Godfather Part II,” and George Stevens’ 1956 “Giant”; and about five minutes longer than “Schindler’s List” and “Titanic.” All were released without intermissions. Among major titles, “Gone with the Wind” is still the longest...

The IMDb top-250 is a curious portrait of populist taste. The list is, it's worth remembering, culled only from user ratings on the IMDb website, and, judging by the films on the list, the average IMDb user seems to be a college-age white male with a taste for crime, guns, fantasy, and the ultra-masculine. The top movies on the list all seem to be the types of movies that young men would own posters for, proudly displayed on their dorm room walls. There are many unassailable classics, to be sure, and young teens could easily look to the list as a rudimentary introduction to the world of cinema, but the list seems ... skewed. There's not a lot of variety. It's not curated by a single critic, nor even a panel of critics. It's just a general consensus of the taste of the types of people who like to rate movies on IMDb.

Ralph Fiennes has long been celebrated as one of the most popular and acclaimed actors to hail from Britain, but even he has his misfires. Known for his commanding presence and intense performances, Fiennes first gained international recognition in the 1990s with his chilling portrayal of the Nazi war criminal Amon Göth in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List, a role that earned him an Academy Award nomination and BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actor. He followed this success with another Oscar-nominated performance in The English Patient, solidifying his reputation for taking on complex, dramatic characters.

Nonetheless, Fiennes' ability to balance commercial success with artistic projects has been a hallmark of his career. He brought a new energy to the iconic role of M in the James Bond franchise, beginning with Skyfall in 2012, and charmed audiences in Wes Anderson’s colorful The Grand Budapest Hotel as the whimsical and polished Gustave H.

Steven Spielberg is not just one of the best directors of all time, but he's also an avid cinephile. It's all the more curious, then, that he has a rather peculiar opinion about the "Star Wars" franchise.

Back in 2002, Spielberg told Cinescape that, out of all the "Star Wars" movies made up to that point, "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" was "my second favorite just behind ['The Empire Strikes Back']," as the filmmaker put it. "It was great. The action scenes looked like George [Lucas] had been inspired by James Cameron because they were as good as any of the action scenes in ['Terminator 2: Judgement Day'], and I think George did his best directing with this one too."

Now, who am I to argue with Spielberg about his personal opinion? Still, it's funny that he heaped praise on "Attack of the Clones," itself perhaps the maligned out of the prequel trilogy.

The career of director Steven Spielberg has practically defined modern blockbusters, but he’s also been able to craft more personal films as well. Let’s rank Spielberg’s entire filmography from worst to best in a new photo gallery of his 33 theatrical features.

Spielberg’s reputation as a master entertainer came with the release of “Jaws,” his 1975 shark attack thriller. Made when he was just 29 years old, the film set box office records and made the summer safe for blockbusters again. Such following films as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977), “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981) and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) cemented Spielberg’s ability to create spectacular amusements that brought audiences to their feet.

He later moved into serious filmmaking with “The Color Purple” (1985), which paved the way for his 1993 Holocaust drama “Schindler’s List” (1993). That film swept the Academy Awards, bringing Spielberg Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture.

Steven Spielberg carved a name for himself as one of the greatest filmmakers in Hollywood because of his ingenious imagination when it comes to making movies. It’s easy to see the passion in his works, and this is all thanks to one person who helped nurture his God-given talent.

Credits: Steven Spielberg via CBS News

The director’s mother, Leah Adler, was one of his biggest supporters. In fact, she helped him skip school so he could practice his moviemaking skills. As an artist herself – an accomplished pianist who studied at Cincinatti’s Conservatory of Music – she understood the creativity in her son just aching to burst forth.

Steven Spielberg’s Mother Encouraged His Passion for Filmmaking by Forging Sick Notes

In an interview with 60 Minutes via CBS in 1992, Steven Spielberg’s mother, Leah Adler, spoke about how she encouraged her son to explore and expand his knowledge...

The Ralph Fiennes' led Conclave has proven to be a theatrical hit, and now audiences can see it on streaming before it potentially becomes an Oscar contender. The religious drama is one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year. The film focuses on the aftermath of the Pope's death and the internal politics at play as the Vatican works to elect his successor. Conclave boasts an impressive cast of experienced actors. Ralph Fiennes grounds the plot with support from the likes of Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, Isabella Rossellini, and Lucian Msamati.

The strong critical and commercial reception to Conclave has earned it plenty of praise from the film community, setting the stage for the film to become a major contender at the Academy Awards. It's even considered a prospective front-runner for the Actor categories, especially for Ralph Fiennes. Curious audiences have plenty of reason to give...

Liam Neeson may not have started out as an action star, but he is certainly considered one now. Though Neeson's '90s and early 2000s career did have a handful of action movies, including Rob Roy (1995), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), and Batman Begins (2005), he was just as well known for non-action roles in projects like Schindler's List (1993) and Love Actually (2003). Neeson's career shifted, however, after the release of Taken in 2009.

Taken spawned two less successful sequels, but it also set Neeson down a unique action path. Neeson became the starring figure in a number of mid-budget action movies, with the films usually built around his casting. Notable entries in Neeson's action career include movies like Unknown (2011), The Grey (2011), Non-Stop (2014), A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014), Cold Pursuit (2019), The Ice Road (2021), and In the Land of Saints and Sinners (2023). Many Neeson action movies come and go with little fanfare, and such was the case for one 2015 film.

Geniuses often behave a bit differently from the normal world. Just look at Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. Although Steven Spielberg might be a genius when it comes to directing films but that didn’t mean that the director was safe from the tragedies of real-life.

George Lucas & Steven Spielberg on the sets of Raiders of the Lost Ark | Credits: Paramount Pictures

It was in the early 1980s when Spielberg was briefly involved with his former wife Amy Irving. Having a rough start since the beginning, the couple divorced in 1989 and Spielberg apparently tried to get out of the settlement by producing a prenup… written on a bar napkin.

When Steven Spielberg met Amy Irving

Spielberg and Star Wars director George Lucas were quite good friends when they were working together in Hollywood. Amy Irving, who was an actress, came to audition for the role of Princess Leia...

While Hollywood has played a prominent role in giving a voice to the martyrs through war drama and historical documentaries, more often than not, these stories get swept up in overly patriotic sentiments rather than giving precedence to factual accuracy. But Steven Spielberg has singlehandedly managed to harness both expansive cinematography as well as emotional storytelling through his research into world war stories.

Band of Brothers [Credit: HBO]

Through an obsessive retelling of World War II stories, Spielberg has never grown bored or tired of the era that has caused so much grief, strife, and pain among the people. With films like Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, Schindler’s List, Munich, and Bridge of Spies, the Oscar-winning director has shed more light on the war than any other director.

However, not all of them have been received well by the audience.

Steven Spielberg’s obsession with World War II Band of Brothers...

Daniel Craig is now best known for his tenure as James Bond, but his acting career before, during, and after his time as 007 is filled with interesting projects from talented filmmakers. Prior to making his debut as Bond in 2006's Casino Royale, Craig acted in projects like Sam Mendes' Road to Perdition (2002) and Layer Cake (2004) from director Matthew Vaughn. In 2005, he also collaborated with Spielberg on an Oscar-nominated historical thriller.

In the early 2000s, Spielberg was coming off of an extremely strong decade in Hollywood filmmaking history. The '90s saw the acclaimed filmmaker release three major titles in Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler's List (1993), and Saving Private Ryan (1998). Spielberg didn't slow down in the new millennium, releasing movies like Minority Report (2002), Catch Me If You Can (2002), and War of the Worlds (2005), working with major stars like Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks. It was another 2005 movie, however, that saw him work with Craig for the first time.

Kathleen Kennedy is set to be honored by the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) with the 2025 ASC Board of Governors Award, the organization announced Wednesday.

The ceremony will take place Feb. 23 at the 39th Annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards Gala at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. The ceremony will be streamed live worldwide.

In a statement, ASC President Shelly John said that “Kathleen Kennedy’s extraordinary career has left an enduring mark on the world of cinema. Her keen eye for storytelling is unparalleled. She consistently brings forth projects that elevate and confirm her trust in the director and cinematographer relationship. Recognizing it as the backbone of great filmmaking, her movies consistently showcase this belief. Her dedication to visual excellence has made her a true trailblazer in the film industry.”

Kennedy was previously a recipient of the 2018 Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, which was bestowed upon her by The...

The American Society of Cinematographers will honor Oscar-nominated producer and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy with its 2025 Board of Governors Award at the ASC’s Feb. 23 awards gala in Beverly Hills.

“Kathleen Kennedy’s extraordinary career has left an enduring mark on the world of cinema,” said ASC President Shelly Johnson. “Her keen eye for storytelling is unparalleled. She consistently brings forth projects that elevate and confirm her trust in the director and cinematographer relationship. Recognizing it as the backbone of great filmmaking, her movies consistently showcase this belief. Her dedication to visual excellence has made her a true trailblazer in the film industry.”

The ASC Board of Governors Award recognizes individuals in the industry whose body of work has made significant and indelible contributions to cinema. It is reserved for filmmakers who are champions for directors of photography and the visual art form.

Kennedy is an eight-time Oscar nominee and...